Please continue to return your old, expired and unwanted pressurised metered dose inhalers (pMDIs) to any pharmacy so they can be disposed of appropriately.
Thank you for supporting the South East London Inhaler Recycling Project.
Since February 2024, NHS South East London’s inhaler recycling pilot has helped thousands of patients safely return used, expired and unwanted inhalers through local pharmacies and NHS sites across south east London. The project was designed to make inhaler disposal easier, reduce waste and explore opportunities to lessen the environmental impact of inhalers.
The pilot has now reached the end of its initial phase and is currently under national evaluation.
What should I do with my used inhalers?
Why should I return inhalers?
Inhalers should not be placed in household waste bins or home recycling collections.
Even inhalers that appear empty may still contain residual propellant gases, which can contribute to climate change if released into the environment.
These gases are safe when inhalers are used as prescribed.
What happens to my inhalers after I return them?
Your old, unused, or expired inhalers are safely collected and sent for incineration. This means they are destroyed at a specialist facility rather than ending up in landfill.
Returning your inhalers to any pharmacy helps protect the environment and ensures they are disposed of safely.
Will there be a national inhaler recycling scheme in the future?
NHS England is committed to exploring inhaler recycling and its potential benefits.
NHS England are currently supporting a small numbers of inhaler recycling pilots to assess the feasibility of a national scheme.
If you would like more information or are keen to share further information with us, please reach out to the NHS England Medicines Net Zero team.
If you have any questions about this project, please email:
This is a collaborative short-term project that is funded and supported by Greener NHS.
This project also meets the objectives set out in the SEL ICS Green Plan 2022-2025 of ensuring no clinical waste goes to landfill and reducing environmental impact of inhalers.
Resources to download for pilot sites:
- A4 Poster for participating sites (part of the project)
- A4 Poster for GPs and all south east London pharmacies (not part of the project) – landscape
- A4 Poster for GPs and all south east London pharmacies (not part of the project) – portrait
- Stickers