ORALS

The formation and accumulation of pharmaceutical waste is a global problem. In excess of 30 billion vials are disposed of annually, and yet no recycling targets have been set for pharmaceutical glass. That is 351,000 tonnes of lost CO2, €26,325,000 lost Carbon Credit, and a cost of €655,000,000 for the disposal of the glass. Pharmaceutical glass is generalised as being parenteral pharmaceutical containers of a sterile medication for parenteral administration (injection or infusion) and encompassing ampules, vials, syringes, and lab bottles. Borosilicate glass is used in the pharmaceutical industry due to its high chemical stability. However, sue to its higher melting temperature it is unsuitable for the traditional container glass or window glass markets. The additional medicinal residues in the empty vials make them even more of a challenge to recycle. Historically the medical industry has been cautious over the handling of spent parenteral packaging from hospitals to domestic sites, focusing on yellow bag or bin collection and destruction through incineration, a practice designed to minimise risk to the patient, practitioners, or the public, but rarely been considerate of the environment. Producer responsibility and decarbonising has become centre stage with national health services and consumers demanding change. Regulators such as the EU are evaluating regulations to include the pharmaceutical industry within the packaging regulations. The components of parenteral packaging have historically challenged their re-use as well as the proportionally high CO2 cost of their collection, sterilisation, deconstruction, and re-assembly. A more considerate approach is required, one where the packaging is recorded, processed, and recovered on site. This presentation will look at these challenges, including the physical properties of borosilicate, contamination, and financial constraints. Then examine the solutions already available, open-loop recycling and the associated CO2 benefits of its processing and recovery, as well as new marketable products and cullet production. As well as highlighting the definite need for policies and regulations in this particular area of glass recycling. As a result, the suggested strategy for the recycling of pharmaceutical waste glass involves the development of a compact parenteral packaging deconstruction machine which is fully auditable, can sterilise all materials during deconstruction, processing and recycling. The recovery of each element significantly decreases the CO2 footprint of the pharmaceutical industry and offers full accountability in accordance with producer responsibility and current and future packaging regulations.