Green Inhalers Campaign

As a practice, we are encouraging all our patients prescribed metred dose inhalers, also known as aerosol spray inhalers or “puffer” inhalers, to take an active role in managing their inhalers in an environmentally friendly way. This can be done through the correct disposal of your inhalers.

A key part of this is knowing when your inhaler is empty and when it should be disposed of. Many metred dose inhalers don’t have dose counters, so it can be difficult to determine when they’re empty. This can lead to difficulties, such as medication waste if they are thrown away prematurely, or under treatment of your condition if they are used when they no longer contain medication. To learn how to tell if your inhaler is empty, ask your pharmacist or click on the following link for more information: https://www.jpaget.nhs.uk/media/680812/Asthma-week-How-can-I-tell-if-my-inhaler-is-empty.pdf

As well as knowing when to dispose of your inhaler, another important aspect is knowing how to dispose of it appropriately. Please return your used or unwanted inhalers back to your pharmacy for safe disposal. Metred dose inhalers contain propellants, which are greenhouse gases. When metred dose inhalers are disposed of in household waste, they end up in landfills and these greenhouse gases can leak out into the atmosphere and harm the environment. When you return your inhalers to the pharmacy, they can be disposed of in an environmentally friendly way.

We hope to see you play your part!