New Czech safety campaign aims to stop home medicine disposal

Nearly three million kilograms of medicines were properly sorted for safe disposal in Czechia between 2021 and 2024. Yet a new survey suggests that figure could be considerably higher if Czechs avoided disposing of them in household waste.

According to research commissioned by the Association of Innovative Pharmaceutical Industry (AIFP) and conducted by the NMS research agency, almost one in five Czechs (19.5%) still throws expired or unused drugs into regular household rubbish, while a further 13.8% stockpiles medicines that may no longer be safe or effective.

The new findings coincide with the launch of a new campaign, “Don’t Throw Away Medicines”, a joint initiative by AIFP and the Association of Pharmacy Network Operators (APLEKS) designed to shift public habits around pharmaceutical waste.

“Medicines are not ordinary waste. Their improper disposal can pose a risk both to the environment and to public health,” said Tomáš Boráň, director of the Czech State…