Alisha Pharmacy
- Unused or expired medicines YES
- Inhalers YES
- Medicine packaging (e.g. pill bottles, boxes, leaflets) NO
- Blister packs NO
- Health and beauty packaging (e.g. lotion pumps, toothpaste tubes) NO
- Diabetes and Weight management injection pens YES [ not with needles still on ] : info below
PenCycle is a UK-wide recycling program by Novo Nordisk for empty, pre-filled diabetes and weight management injection pens (like Ozempic, Wegovy, Saxenda), allowing users to return them for free via participating pharmacies or post for recycling into new products, reducing plastic waste from millions of pens used annually. Users collect a special box, place empty pens (needles removed) inside, and return the full box for repurposing into items like furniture.
How it Works
Get a Box: Request a free PenCycle return box from a participating pharmacy (Alisha Pharmacy) or online.
Use & Fill: After using a Novo Nordisk pen, remove the needle (dispose of it in a sharps bin) and place the empty pen in the box.
Return: Drop off the full box at any participating pharmacy or post it back for free.
Recycle: Pens are sent to Denmark where materials are repurposed into new goods, such as lamps, chairs, and glassware.
Key Details
Who’s Behind It: A Novo Nordisk initiative, supported by Airedale NHS Trust and community pharmacies.
What’s Recycled: Pre-filled pens for diabetes and weight management (e.g., Ozempic, Wegovy, Saxenda, Tresiba).
Goal: Reduce plastic waste generated by millions of pens, supporting NHS sustainability targets.
Where: Available across the UK through various healthcare partners.
- needle exchange scheme for drug/steroid users
- c-card scheme also https://youngandfree.org.uk/join-the-c-card-scheme/
- Chlamydia screening kits
- Emergency contraception
- Repeat contraception service
- Flu & Covid vaccination services
- Blood pressure checks for eligible patients or referred by GP
- 24Hr Blood pressure monitor – via referral from GPs
- Various private services also
Jallas Pharmacy
- Unused or Expired Medicines: Yes, we accept these for safe disposal.
- Inhalers: Yes, we collect these to ensure they are disposed of correctly, as they can have a significant environmental impact if sent to a landfill.
- Medicine Packaging – We generally encourage patients to use their household recycling bins for paper and cardboard.
- Blister Packs – Yes
- Diabetes and Weight management injection pens – (asked)
- Exclusions: Please note that we cannot accept sharps or needles. These must be disposed of through the appropriate local authority sharps collection service.
- Service Availability – Everyone
Our Process
We participate in the standard NHS disposal scheme. Our waste is managed by Anenta, a dedicated healthcare waste specialist. They collect the returned items from us and ensure they are disposed of safely and in accordance with environmental regulations.
Service Availability
These services are available to anyone in the community, not just patients registered with our pharmacy. We believe in making safe disposal as accessible as possible to help reach those local green targets.
Packaging Note
Regarding general packaging (pill boxes, leaflets, and beauty products), we generally encourage patients to use their household recycling bins for paper and cardboard. We currently prioritize the safe disposal of the medicinal components themselves and the primary packaging (like inhalers and blister packs) that cannot be processed by standard curb-side recycling.
Horn Lane Pharmacy
- Unused or expired medicines YES
- Inhalers YES But not to recycle just dispose of safely
- Medicine packaging (e.g. pill bottles, boxes, leaflets) NO
- Blister packs NO
- Diabetes and Weight management injection pens –
- Health and beauty packaging (e.g. lotion pumps, toothpaste tubes) NO
- Service Availability – Everyone, not just their own patients.
Asda Park Royal Pharmacy
- Accept unused and expired medicines from our patients for safe disposal as part of the NHS medicines waste service however, we do not currently offer plastic or inhaler recycling facilities.
Banks Chemist
We do accept unused/expired medicines and blisters packs. The only things we won’t accept are needles.
- Diabetes and Weight management injection pens – NO
Lewis Pharmacy
- Unused or expired medicines YES
- Inhalers YES
- Diabetes and weight-loss management injections YES
- Blister packs YES
- Medicine Packaging NO
- Health and beauty packaging (e.g. lotion pumps, toothpaste tubes) NO
- Service Availability – Available to all members of the public
Subject to available space and appropriate storage capacity
Used needles from injections must be disposed of in the patient’s own sharps bin, and we do not accept sharps bins for disposal.
Conway Chemist
- Unused or expired medicines ( Safely deposed, not recycled )
- Inhalers YES
We don’t accept needles. We don’t currently offer recycling services.
Marcus Jones Pharmacy
We do offer recycling. However, for items like sharp needles, we do not accept these.
Walkers Pharmacy
- Unused or expired medicines YES
- Inhalers YES
- Medicine packaging (e.g. pill bottles, boxes, leaflets) YES
- Blister packs YES
- Health and beauty packaging (e.g. lotion pumps, toothpaste tubes) YES
- Recycling or safe disposal of sharps NO
Patients should arrange collection with their local council for these items.
Pharmacy2u
- Not a service that they provide at the moment