Recycle your used medication blister packs at Recycle it Saturday

Published on 22 April 2024

Image courtesy of Pharmacycle

Medication blister packs are a common household item which contain valuable materials which should be recycled, but because they are composed of more than one material (aluminium and plastic) they’re unable to be recycled through our yellow-lid bins.

The good news is you can now drop off your empty blister packs at our quarterly Recycle It Saturday events and we’ll recycle them for you!

What happens to blister packs dropped off at Recycle It Saturday?

Australian company Pharmacycle transports the blister packs to Silverwater for recycling.

Blister packs are shredded, grinded and split into their component parts using air-density and electrostatic separation.

The plastic is provided to a Victorian company to make decking products. The foil is sent to a NSW factory and turned into aluminium pucks used in steel-making.

What kind of blister packs are accepted?

We’ll accept blister packs made of plastic and foil, or ones that are fully foil too.

Packets need to be empty – we will not accept any containing medication.

If your blister pack came in a cardboard box, recycle the box separately in your yellow-lid bin at home. No business quantities.

Next Recycle it Saturday - 18 May

Save your blister packs up and drop them off at our next Recycle It Saturday event on 18 May. We accept a wide range of items including old electronics; polystyrene; batteries; bulky cardboard; lightbulbs; gas cylinders; small metal items, bicycles; clothes, linen and hard toys in great condition suitable for second-hand sale – and more.

Every item you drop off is a valuable resource which will be diverted from landfill and given a second life.