It's time to clean out your medicine cabinet
Introducing our pharmaceutical products and medical sharps program
We’ve all got them.
That one drawer in your bathroom vanity or one shelf in your medicine cabinet that is dedicated to a vast collection of expired prescriptions, pain medications, multivitamins, antacids, antibiotic creams... The list goes on.
What to do with it all…
We have a solution. Our newest program for managing unused pharmaceutical products and used medical sharps officially launched in January. It is now be easier for New Brunswickers to gather these items and return them to local pharmacies. Products accepted under the new program include:
- All prescription drugs, including those prescribed for companion animals.
- Over-the-counter medications.
- Natural health products.
- Needles and syringes, including those prescribed for companion animals.
- Infusion sets.
- Lancets.
- Pen tips.
- Pre-filled syringes, cartridges.
- Auto-injectors.
It should be noted that many New Brunswick pharmacies have been accepting these items for several years. They have done so voluntarily, and at their own expense, to ensure medications and medical sharps do not end up in our landfills or waste treatment facilities where they can contaminate our drinking water or pose a risk to our wildlife. The new pharmaceuticals and sharps program, however, is Extended Producer Responsibility, which means that producers of these products will now be responsible for paying for the collection and management.
In New Brunswick, producers are represented by the Health Products Stewardship Association, who has been working hard to establish a network of pharmacies throughout the province where you can return these items. At present, there are more than 154 locations, and that number should increase over the coming months.
To find out more about the program, or to find a participating pharmacy near you, please visit www.recyclenb.com. Happy recycling everyone!