By NICOLE VALICEK
ASTHMA sufferers across Hobsons Bay are set to breathe a little more easily, thanks to the launch of an Australia-first puffer recycling initiative.
The initiative by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) will be piloted across Victoria with a view to expand nationwide.
Altona North Chemmart Pharmacy will participate in the program which encourages patients to return empty respiratory inhalers to participating pharmacies for recycling.
Once collected, the inhalers will be taken to a specialist recycling centre.
Recovered plastics will be used in the creation of a range of household items, while non-recyclable components will be used as fuel or other means to help generate energy.
Supported by 49 Chemmart Chemists in Victoria and Asthma Australia, the scheme hopes to help reduce the environmental impact of disposed inhalers which would otherwise end up in landfill.
When disposed this way, old inhalers also pose a risk in terms of greenhouse gas emissions should the gas canisters be pierced and any propellant released.
GSK Australia medical director, Doctor Andrew Yeates, said the program had already proved successful in the UK and would help pave the way for a more environmentally sustainable treatment of respiratory disease in Australia.
“If every person in Australia were to recycle their inhalers for one year, we would save 52,869 tonnes of CO₂ which is the equivalent of driving around the world 26,490 times,” he said.
Mr Yeates said by the end of 2015, they hoped to have collected more than 1.5 million inhalers.
