CHEMIST WAREHOUSE AND PHARMACYCLE TEAM UP WITH CODRAL® TO ROLL OUT AUSTRALIA’S LARGEST BLISTER PACK RECYCLING INITIATIVE NATION-WIDE
MEDIA RELEASE I 11 NOVEMBER 2024:
Leading pharmacy retailer, Chemist Warehouse and Pharmacycle have teamed up with Kenvue, the world’s largest pure-play consumer health company by revenue and manufacturer of leading brands like CODRAL® to roll out Australia’s largest specialised blister pack recycling initiative nation-wide, just in time for National Recycling Week, which kicks off today.
After a highly successful trial of the initiative in late 2023 across 100 Chemist Warehouse pharmacies in Victoria, the program is now available in all Chemist Warehouse and My Chemist pharmacies across the country. Customers can conveniently return their empty blister packs via CODRAL® branded Pharmacycle recycling bins available within the vicinity of the dispensary.
The purpose of this initiative is to provide a more sustainable and circular approach by collecting empty blister packs in-store for recycling and avoiding these ending up as landfill waste. To date, participating pharmacies have already collected a whopping 4.4million blister packs, totalling 6620kg of waste that has been recycled and repurposed to create outdoor decking and fencing.
“With a shared mission of ensuring all blister packs are recycled around Australia, Chemist Warehouse is excited to team up with Pharmacycle and Kenvue to offer our customers access to this initiative. We are committed to providing our customers around the country with simple and efficient recycling solutions, encouraging all to be as sustainable as possible.” said Chemist Warehouse Director, Mario Tascone.
Established in 2022, Pharmacycle is the only blister pack recycling program in Australia that provides a vertically integrated, end-to-end recycling solution and is committed to providing full transparency and traceability. They manage the collection, logistics and processing of blister packs, as well as take full responsibility for the downstream solutions for the recovered materials.
Pharmacycle has Australian based processing capabilities and ensures that all recovered materials stay right here in Australia. Their specialised recycling technology ensures that the recovered materials from the blister packs re-enter the market as raw materials for new products, supporting the best circular economy outcomes for our community.
Once collected from the pharmacy, blister packs are transported to one of Pharmacycle’s processing facilities, where the packaging requires specialised machinery to separate the materials before they can be recycled. The aluminium is then sent to Weston Aluminium in the Hunter Valley (NSW), which reprocesses it to produce an aluminium de-oxidant product that aids in the steelmaking process. The plastic component is sent to Think Fencing in Portarlington, Victoria, before being used to make products such as PVC decking and fencing.
“We’re extremely excited to expand our blister pack recycling program with Chemist Warehouse and Kenvue in time for National Recycling Week. This collaboration aligns perfectly with our commitment to providing accessible, sustainable recycling solutions that ensure blister packs are repurposed into valuable products. By keeping all processing local, we’re proud to support Australian jobs and contribute to a more circular economy,” said Jason Rijnbeek, Business Development Manager at Pharmacycle.
“We’re thrilled to partner with Chemist Warehouse and Pharmacycle to roll out this recycling program across the country,” said Nadia Stone, Managing Director Australia and New Zealand, Kenvue, the maker of iconic brands like CODRAL®, the popular cold and flu brand. “We know that consumers are increasingly prioritising sustainability and seeking solutions and actionable information to make healthier choices for themselves, their loved ones, and the planet. Within our Healthy Lives Mission environmental, social and governance strategy, plastics is one of the nine priority topics we’re focused on to help manage the impacts we create and help safeguard the earth’s health and resources. External collaborations like this one can help make a bigger impact than we can achieve alone. We hope that consumers across Australia will join us in our mission to create lasting positive change for people, communities, and the planet we call home ”.
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