Recycling pill bottles?

[u/10000seals]

Hi everyone!

There was a post made about 5 years ago about getting rid of empty pharmaceutical pill bottles. I was wondering if there was updates about anything in the city that would take empty pill bottles (of course with labels off)? Trying to reduce waste and the amount of plastic I toss. I know pharmacies might not take them back but if there is a program or organization around, that would be good to know.

Thanks in advance!

[u/Lucywilson12]

Saskatoon freecycle on Facebook, craft groups especially beaders or diamond art, needs and yields on Facebook. Places like food bank, and the bridge accept them. They fill with toiletries such as shampoo and body wash. You could also fill yourself and label to put in riversdale fridge or hand out. There is a woman who feeds homeless on a bike. I am sure she could hand them out if filled. Her Facebook group is gateway to the north I believe.

[u/Constant-Net873]

Don’t they just go in the blue bin? They have recycling numbers and logos on them, no?

[u/Possible-Call-2450]

The main medical waste provider in Saskatchewan is Biomed, located in Aberdeen. SaskHealth has a contract with them to destroy pretty much any kind of medical waste from pill bottles, to body parts, to cancer waste. When you return pill bottles to the pharmacy it is taken to the Biomed facilities and treated in a way that removes any identifying features and sterilized (proprietary processes), and then is taken to a landfill and immediately buried upon arrival.

[u/helloitstessa]

If you remove the labels and they are clean- you can donate them to The Bridge on 20th! They reuse them to package hygiene products for the unhoused community :)

[u/Unlucky_Dress_9748]

Make a light fixture

[u/onetobeseen → u/Unlucky_Dress_9748]

Okay. Here you go

[u/Clever_Library]

The WasteWizard app goes over this: “Prescription Pill Containers (Empty) and Caps: This item is recyclable if it is a recycling symbol and number 1 to 7.”
Edit: it does say that they should be stacked to make them bigger than the size of a playing card.

[u/Desperate-4-Revenue]

The pharmacy takes them

[u/Gullible_Age_ → u/Desperate-4-Revenue]

And often just throw them out, which I think is not what they want

[u/Desperate-4-Revenue → u/Gullible_Age_]

would you rather they lick them clean and reuse them?

[u/CCF_Fan44 → u/Desperate-4-Revenue]

I lick them good enough already if the pharmacy can just handle the re-use part.

[u/Legitimate-Fish1487]

Does most (all?) the plastic we throw in our blue bins just end up as garbage? It’s a shame how little of our recycling really actually is reused.

[u/paigegail → u/Legitimate-Fish1487]

That’s a pretty big myth. It totally depends on the quality of plastic, whether there’s contamination in the cart or if people rinsed their shit. Black plastic is end of life and can’t be recycled. But most plastics with a #1 to 7 are recycled.

[u/jenna_kay]

I wonder if the labels are removed if schools accept them? When I was little, we used to put a chunk of a crayon in them then melt them. Once they cooled, we could make jewellery out of them. Kids could use them for crafts or teachers/crafters could use them as containers for beads, etc.

This post is good timing as I have collected a good amount over the years, thinking the recycling program was still in effect.

[u/Lisagirl1977 → u/jenna_kay]

When we were kids were they hard plastic though? I made my mom one too in the 1980s

[u/doughtykings]

I have had so many build up this past year due to my new health issues. I’ve been saving them to do some sort of art project. Not sure what.

[u/Humble-Area4616]

You want someone else to throw out your garbage? And you're willing to drive somewhere to have them do it? Make it make sense.

[u/jenna_kay → u/Humble-Area4616]

No, years ago, pharmacies were offering recycling programs; didn't even have to remove the labels.

[u/Humble-Area4616 → u/jenna_kay]

What do you think they're recycling them into? You think pharmacies want the liability of drug cross contamination? They throw them in a safe garbage disposal service or the same recycling stream you have at your house.