Pharmacies do not get paid for collecting used medicines and sharps but there is no cost for the disposal of them as the CDHB are now funding San-i-pak to collect them from pharmacies.  Pharmacies can choose to participate in this initiative or not.

 

For general medicines the disposal of one yellow bag full each month has been in place for some time.  However there is now no limit (as long as it is reasonable) on how many yellow bags can be collected from San-i-pak

 

In regard to the sharps there are 3 options for patients if the pharmacy participates for sharps: 

1. Recommended option would be patients can buy the 1.4 litre Sharps container from the pharmacy (these can be bought from CDC/Propharma for about $5.50)  They can then return the full sharps container to the pharmacy and San-I-pak will dispose of it free of charge.

 

2.  Pharmacies can get the 8 litre sharps bin from San-i-pak (free to the pharmacy) and patients can decant their sharps into this container (from another container).

 

3. San-i-pak will also dispose free of charge appropriate household containers full of sharps as long as "sharps" is written on the bottle. By appropriate I mean thick plastic containers eg finish dishwashing powder bottle not thin plastic containers which could puncture (milk bottles, coke bottles). 

 

The contact details for San-i-pak to order the 8 litre sharps bin or ask them to dispose of the sharps are:

Tel – 03 328 9430