Foil strips for medication.

Dickens

Doodledog

Things seem very wasteful these days - it seems madness not to recycle old pill bottles. Similarly, my surgery will only accept urine samples in the tubular bottles designed for the purpose. I don't know if they are recycled in the lab, but they won't take old spice jars or the sort of thing people might have in the house as they used to (I used to use film cartridges when they were available!). Instead you have to buy one from the chemist or go to the surgery to ask for one.

Things seem very wasteful these days - it seems madness not to recycle old pill bottles.

Yep. So much is now recycled - why not those little bottles? I'm sure we have the technology to sterilise them. But the machines and equipment used in the manufacturing process are not going to be chucked out any time soon. I suspect it's actually cheaper to foil-wrap them, so those strips are here to stay.

... and now pharmacies are refusing to take them back for re-cycling because they're overwhelmed (an end result which anyone with a modicum of intelligence would've been able to envisage).

Those blister packs are made up of complex materials, some of which are difficult to recycle - and the re-cycling scheme is now overwhelmed! I wonder how long it will be before we are levied a charge on it...

Apparently, the recycled packs can be made into garden furniture!

The thing is the tablets need to have their instructions with them now, and you can’t put all of that on a label. I think it was new legislation issued yeas ago. Also it means the original container hasn’t been tampered with and, if there is a problem they know which batch it came from.

When I have had difficulty – because of a broken wrist, for example – I have used a tiny penknife to cut through the foil layer at the edge of the tablet it was covering and to turn the foil back so that the tablet fell out. Any finely pointed knife would work similarly I should think.

Normally I split the foil with a thumb nail before trying to push the tablet out.

I've never had a cut from the foil but I expect foil thickness varies and perhaps I've been lucky.

If you are feeling strongly enough about the medicinal blister packs (or anything else that doesn't seem to be widely recycled) to actually pay out money, or can persuade an organisation to sponsor collecting them for recycling, Terracycle provides these facilities.

I had a large carrier bag of blister packs, which I had started keeping a few years ago when I learnt that one of the pharmacy chains would accept them. My nearest branch was in the centre of town, and it was during Covid lockdown, so I waited until I had a bagful, then enquired about taking them in - no, they had withdrawn from the scheme! But I kept collecting - then heard that SOME branches of Superdrug would take them - but my nearest participating branch was in Stirling, too far for a quick bus trip.

I was starting to think I would have to just dump them when I found Terracycle. I think they primarily supplied big printed cardboard boxes for organisations to collect specific items for recycling - the cost of the box includes carriage and the cost of recycling, which in some cases has to be paid for as it doesn't produce enough return to be viable. However, they have recently introduced printed heavy plastic bags for smaller amounts, for individuals or small businesses, at lower prices. zerowastebag.co.uk/

It is £39 for a large bag (which holds a LOT A smaller one would have been £25) and when it is full I will take it to a locker at Tescos. My bag is currently in my local Community Centre, where it is filling up faster than I could fill it alone.
£39, or even £25, is quite a lot for an individual to shell out, but perhaps we need to put our hands into our pockets in the interests of global pollution by packaging? Many of us volunteer or have contacts with community organisations, maybe we could persuade them to invest in bags for a couple of categories and display them where those using the community can contribute?

They also have links to FREE recycling schemes run by various manufacturers for the things they make. For instance, there are some for contact lenses and solution bottles, toothbrushes, beauty product containers, crisp packets, Pringles packaging, cheese wrappers etc etc. www.terracycle.com/en-GB/brigades It is worth a look.

Blister pack opener. It pushes out the pill for you, and catches it in a holder - no more losing pills under the fridge.
www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=pill+blister+pack+opener&tag=gransnetforum-21

I have just had a knee replacement surgery, on blood thinners and lots of pills, I cut myself so badly on one of the foil strips, blood was gushing everywhere, all in bedside cabinet draw, carpets, all from the tablet strip. I appreciate I prob bled more due to blood thinners but it was very scary! I now dispense them into other containers for the day, very carefully!!!

Ours are not sharp, just tough, so I cut the packs open with the kitchen scissors on things like aspirin that are packed flat. The bubble packs usually react well to a finger nail, or a paring knife.

You need one of these.
www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=pill+blister+pack+opener&tag=gransnetforum-21
Blister pack opener. It pushes out the pill for you, and catches it in a holder - no more losing pills under the fridge.

None of the openers I have tried work so now take all my paracetamol to my son with a resealable bag inside a box & problem solved! My Granddaughter at 7 years old is even better at opening them 😂

Look on Amazon , they have a pill popper gadget !

Pierce the foil with the point of a knife and press the plastic.
I used to pierce all the Panadol foil as soon as I got it. They've improved it now.

Cut the silver on the back with a little knife first, I do that on all strips when I do my weekly dosage boxes. Saves time fiddling. Occasionally my thumb nail will do some of them but then ruins the nail vanish. So knife is best.

All packaging seems more difficult these days. Perhaps it’s an age thing

Mr C is currently prescribed 8 different tablets to take at varying times of the day. All in blister packs. Wretched things. I’ve been using a knife but will look at the pill popper gadget. Probably safer!

My chemist fills my dosset for me and delivers it to me. Never lets me down. It’s a wonderful service.

My nails are so weak my right hand thumb nail keeps breaking when I try to push them out. Also get little cuts and pills flying across the room.

All these horrible problems solved in one go! A previous poster mentioned Ipill, which is a good system, but I take PillTime and have had grateful thanks from others I have recommended them to. They check with your doctor, and then send a monthly roll of small transparent pouches - well in advance - which are easy to grip and tear open - fine for arthritic hands. On the front of each is the day, date, time and a list of contents. Tear and swallow! No dealing out or mistakes in transferring. I hope some people may try it - you can always cancel and go back to your old system.

But they come in handy for cutting through the unperforated tape on some of the boxes

Must be registered to an NHS GP surgery based in England.

Sorry, that was in reply to the iPill link

Contact lens foils always seem to slice my fingers!

Harris27

I struggle getting the Paracetamol out of the silver strips!

Why is it that paracetamol is so difficult? I have different medications and the trouble I have with paracetamol is 10 fold what is is with the other stuff.

Amazon have these on their website

I have cut my fingers when opening boxes of tissues, one quite deeply, on the serrated edges under the cardboard lid. I phoned the manufacturer, the agent seemed astounded that I would bother, promised a call-back, and none happened.
I'm surprised someone hasn't demanded compensation for similar injuries, oe could I be the only one this has happened to?

My finger nails are adequate for getting my pills out of foil packs. So far!

I, too, break the 'silver side' with my nail, so much easier to get out.