Boots rolls out national blister pack recycling scheme

Boots is rolling out a national blister pack recycling scheme to more than 800 stores across the UK in response to customer demand.

Blister packs cannot typically be recycled through household kerbside collections because their combination of plastic and foil makes them complicated to process, meaning they usually go to landfill or incineration.

Customers can recycle blister packs from any brand, while those who have a Boots Advantage Card will receive a reward of 100 Advantage Card points – or £1 – every time they hand in five empty blister packs in one deposit and spend £5 in-store.

After the blister packs or other empty health and beauty containers have been dropped off at Boots stores, they are sent to MYGroup, who separate the plastic and the foil.

The recycled foil can be immediately reused, while MYGroup turn the recycled plastic into a material called MYBoardTM, which has a wide range of uses such as playground equipment, furniture, and construction materials.

Candice Smith, from Boots, said: “Taking medicines or vitamins in blister pack packaging is an essential part of everyday life for many of us – even more so during the winter when it is peak cough, cold season.

“We know from our pilot scheme that people want a recycling solution for their empty blister packs, which is why we’re now making it available in towns and cities across the country.

“We look forward to seeing the recycled blister packs take on a new life as playground equipment and furniture.”

Boots joins other retailers including Superdrug and Aldi in running blister pack recycling initiatives.