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Environmental Awareness Fuels Record Return of Unused Medications in France

Cyclamed data show that 82% of adults drop off spare pills at pharmacies each year, highlighting a national shift toward sustainable waste handling

Les médicaments périmés sont à retourner à la pharmacie. 
Un homme jette des médicaments non utilisés dans une boîte en carton de l'organisme Cyclamed, chargé de leur collecte, le 23 mars 2023 dans une pharmacie à Colomiers

Overview

  • Collection rate climbed to a record 77% in 2024, up from 71% in 2023.
  • Environmental protection is now the top motivation for 60% of respondents, surpassing household safety concerns.
  • Seventy percent of people pre-sort medication packaging at home before returning drugs to pharmacies.
  • Pharmacies collect returns in locked containers then transfer them via wholesalers to energy-recovery plants where incineration generates heat and electricity.
  • The practice has expanded alongside a two-decade trend of 1% annual declines in medication sales, and no humanitarian redistribution of returned drugs has occurred since 2008.