Expired medicines belong at the pharmacy, not in household waste
A national Valormed campaign is reminding households to return unused and expired medicines, together with their packaging, through participating pharmacies and parapharmacies.
Archived after its publication day. Search retains this original briefing for background and accountability.
Archived 12 September 2026Putting medicines in a bin, sink or toilet can release active substances into soil and water, while returning them through the collection network keeps them in a controlled waste stream.
- Unused and expired medicines should be taken to a participating pharmacy or parapharmacy.
- Cardboard boxes, leaflets, blister packs, bottles and other medicine packaging can go into the same Valormed collection route.
- Needles, syringes, thermometers, electrical devices and ordinary cosmetics do not belong in the medicine-return container.
- RTP reports that about half of the population still puts expired medicines in household waste.
Use the dedicated return route
Valormed runs the national collection system for household medicines that are no longer needed or have passed their expiry date. Keep the product and its medicine packaging together and hand them to staff at a participating pharmacy or parapharmacy; do not leave a bag beside a container.
The system accepts medicine boxes, information leaflets and the immediate packaging that held the medicine. It is not a general clinical-waste or recycling point, so separate sharp objects, electrical equipment, dressings, chemical products and ordinary toiletries.
Do a safe cabinet check
Read the expiry date and keep medicines in their original packaging until they are returned. Do not share prescription medicines or keep an opened product for an unverified future use. If you are unsure whether a medicine is still required, ask a pharmacist before discarding it.
Store medicines away from children and pets while preparing the return. A pharmacy can explain where an item belongs, but urgent poisoning or accidental exposure needs immediate clinical advice rather than a waste question.
What you can do now.
- 01
Collect expired and unused medicines in their original packaging.
- 02
Remove personal labels if this can be done without damaging safety information.
- 03
Take the items to a participating pharmacy or parapharmacy.
- 04
Ask the pharmacist where excluded items should be taken.
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