Return of Unwanted Medicines (RUM) Scheme

Unwanted or expired medicines left lying around at home can create a potential health risk. People are often unsure how to dispose of medicines correctly. Many medicines deteriorate with time and this can result in changes to their chemical composition. These changes can make the medicine less effective or in some cases can cause harm or toxicity if they are used after their expiry date.

An inclination might be to throw old medicines into the bin or wash them down the sink. Both of these methods have potential dangers. Medicines that end up in landfill can leach their way back into the food chain via waterways or into fertilisers made from landfill.

The safest and most environmentally friendly way to dispose of unwanted medicines is to return them to our pharmacy where they will be disposed of in a special return of unwanted medicines (RUM) bin. Simply pack them safely into a sealed plastic bag and drop them into to us. We will send them away for safe destruction in these security sealed bins.