TerraCycle launches TerraCycle BlisterBack: an industry-wide solution to collect and recycle empty medicine blister packs which would otherwise be incinerated or end up in landfill

· TerraCycle calls upon all organisations within the health industry - from pharmacies and GPs to councils and vet practices - to come together to provide a nationwide network of recycling points for empty medicine blister packs.

· Industry players can join and appear on the same TerraCycle BlisterBack website and interactive map, allowing members of the public to drop off their empty medicine blister packs to be recycled by TerraCycle. 

London, 16th May 2024: International recycling leader TerraCycle announces today the launch of TerraCycle BlisterBack https://terracycleblisterback.co.uk/, a UK solution for all players across the health industry - from hospitals to veterinary practices, GPs and pharmacies - to join forces in the effort to fight against plastic waste and stop empty medicine blister packs from being incinerated or ending up in landfill. 

Medicine blister packs are made of a complex mix of difficult-to-recycle materials required to protect medicines, including plastic and aluminium foil. This makes them complex and therefore costly to recycle. Ultimately, the recycled material is worth less than the recycling process costs, so it is not economically viable for local authorities to collect or recycle them via kerbside collections.

There are important retailer-led initiatives in the UK that already enable the recycling of empty medicine blister packs via selected stores. To go even further and bring more visibility to these initiatives, TerraCycle has developed TerraCycle BlisterBack. This solution brings together the many parties with an interest in recycling empty medicine blister packs, to join forces and offer consumers unprecedented access to recycle empty medicine blister packs.

Julien Tremblin, General Manager, TerraCycle Europe, commented: “TerraCycle has been recycling empty blister packs in the UK for years, launching our first solutions in 2018 and since then, we have collected and recycled more than 75 million blister packs at hundreds of locations around the UK. TerraCycle BlisterBack has a simple premise, in that we are encouraging multiple actors whether big pharmacy chains, independent pharmacies at a local level, GP practices, local councils amongst others,to come together to fund and offer access to the recycling of empty medicine blister packs for their stores, locations, local communities and customers or residents.

We aim to develop a growing and robust nationwide network of drop-off points over the coming months and years so people across the UK have somewhere to take their empty medicine blister packs to be recycled.” 

Adam Herriott, Senior Specialist, WRAP, said: “Blister packs are a difficult to recycle item and this is a positive step in tackling an ongoing problem. Having widespread collection points will help more people recycle and stop many blister packs from going to landfill.”

Pictured above: Image 1 (left): Collected empty medicine blister packs being sorted at a TerraCycle Materials Recovery Facility (MRF), with the plastic and aluminium components being separated, ready to be recycled.

Image 2 (right): The resulting aluminium material once it has been processed which can then be used in the production of new durable and useful products. High res versions can be downloaded via this link.

TerraCycle BlisterBack provides convenient recycling options for everyone, from individuals and households to businesses of all sizes.

For households:

· Local public drop-off point: Individuals can access their nearest public drop-off point using the interactive map and drop off their empty medicine blister packs for recycling.

· Home collection: If there are no public drop-off points nearby, individuals can consider purchasing a Zero Waste Bag. Fill it with their empty blister packs, then drop it off at any of the +5,000 available InPost lockers nationwide.

For businesses / organisations:

· Purchase a Zero Waste Box™ for Empty Medicine Blister Packs. Zero Waste Box™ is ideal for local businesses (such as pharmacies, retailers, health centers, veterinary practices etc.) looking to offer a convenient recycling solution for empty medicine blister packaging at their location. They can simply order a Zero Waste Box™ for empty medicine blister packs and set it up in a visible spot at their location. Their location can then be listed as a public drop-off point on TerraCycle’s BlisterBack interactive map to boost community participation and visibility.

· Large retailers, a group of pharmacies, or anyone interested in a partnership, please contact TerraCycle to discuss the best solution to meet their needs.

TerraCycle’s advanced recycling solution, firstly separates the plastic and aluminium component parts of the medicine blister packs, which would otherwise be disposed of in general waste, into a recycled raw material which can then be used in the production of new durable and useful products. This includes the likes of nuts and bolts from the aluminium and pipes and window frames from the plastic. 

For further information on TerraCycle BlisterBack or to use the interactive map to find your nearest participating recycling point for empty medicine blister packs see https://terracycleblisterback.co.uk/. 

*This applies to empty blister packs only, and per official guidance, all unopened, unused and out-of-date medicines should be returned to pharmacies for disposal. The cardboard box that houses the blister packs can be recycled, as can any paper inserts. Do not flush medicines down the toilet.