Specialist disposal
How to dispose of unused medicines
Take unused or out of date medicines back to a pharmacy. Do not put them in a bin or flush them down the toilet.
Pharmacies
In England every community pharmacy must take back unwanted medicines. The NHS then has them collected and disposed of safely.
The packaging
The cardboard box and paper leaflet can go in your recycling. Participating Superdrug stores take empty blister packs.
Binned medicines pollute water and soil
NHS South Yorkshire says medicines flushed away or put in bins can pollute rivers and soil. Medicines waste costs the NHS about £300 million a year.
Last updated: 15 October 2026
Written by Binmap using guidance from NHS South Yorkshire and Recycle Now.
Pages from the organisations involved
Advice from national bodies
What to do
- Keep medicines in their original packs.
- Bag them and hand them in at the pharmacy counter.
Kinds of place that take it
- Pharmacy returns
Guides for similar items
Other kinds of place
Schemes and collection services
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