A new pilot program to recycle medical blister packs kicks off today at pharmacies around the Geelong area.
Spearheaded by Rotary in partnership with Australian company Pharmacycle and local pharmacists, the pilot will place bins in 10 pharmacies in Geelong, Portarlington, Ocean Grove and elsewhere around the region.
Each pharmacy has received six bins, which are available for the public to drop in used blister packs.
Rotary district chair of environment and pharmacist Barb Sheehan, who conceived the idea for the program and has seen it come to fruition, said she was hopeful the community would get behind the initiative.
“I’m thrilled, absolutely thrilled; the pharmacies have all been really keen to participate and hopefully the public are really enthusiastic and will get plenty of packs back,” she said.
“The waste (from blister packs) is enormous, I know how much of it goes out from the pharmacies I work in, let alone what’s sold in supermarkets and health food stores, and at the moment it all goes to landfill.
“It’s a big issue (but) there’s a solution. There are people who want to recycle them but it’s the funding, who’s going to pay for it, that’s the issue, so hopefully we’ll get enough data that we can seek further funding.”
The pilot program is being funded by the City of Greater Geelong through a $10,000 environmental sustainability grant.
“I’d like to thank the City of Greater Geelong for supporting programs like this with their grants,” Ms Sheehan said.
“I think it’s wonderful. It’s all about stopping plastic pollution going into landfill, getting something out of the plastic and foil that can contribute to a circular economy and make it a better place for us all to live.”
