Thousands of medicinal blister packs are being recycled thanks to a landmark recycling scheme at the Queensland Children’s Hospital (QCH).
The hospital is the first paediatric hospital in the country, and the first hospital in Queensland to introduce a blister package recycling scheme.
Many tablet and capsule pharmaceuticals (like Panadol) use blister packaging for tablets but their foil and plastic elements can’t be disposed in a regular recycling bin. It’s estimated more than two billion blister packs used in Australia each year end up in landfill.
Children’s Health Queensland has partnered with Australia’s only complete recycling solution for used and empty medicinal blister packs, Pharmacycle, to recover and recycle the plastic and foil elements of the blister packaging.
Blister pack collection points have been in all QCH wards since April 2024, with the program funded from the hospital’s Containers for Change revenue (10c for every plastic bottle or container collected across the hospital and health service).
In the first three months of the program, approximately 24 kilograms of blister packs were recycled by staff and patients like Esperance and her mum Carly.
Children’s Health Queensland sustainability lead Renae McBrien said staff and families have embraced the new recycling process with ease and excitement.
“Our collection in the first three months of the program equated to around 16 000 blister packs, which would have otherwise ended up landfill," she said.
“In the past, it was awful to see thousands of blister packages, which can take hundreds of years to breakdown, being thrown out each year, when an alternative recycling exists to contribute to the Australian circular economy."
“Until there is alternative packaging for the vital medication we use at the hospital every day, it’s important for us to offer our young patients, their families and our staff recycling options for items like blister packs," Renae said.
All material collected at the QCH are transferred to Pharmacycle’s facility in Sydney to be processed.
Pharmacycle’s Michael Klapsogiannis said the organisation has been thrilled to partner with the QCH and deliver the first recycling program a paediatric hospital in Australia.
"The collaboration with QCH demonstrates our shared dedication to creating a more sustainable future for our children and is a testament to what can be achieved when healthcare providers and environmental organisations work together towards a common goal," he said.