GSK rolls out inhaler-recycling program

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. — Several cities across the country will play host to a new program from one drug maker to recycle respiratory inhalers.

Calling it the first program of its kind in the pharmaceutical industry, GlaxoSmithKline announced Wednesday the Complete the Cycle program, which it announced last month and for which it is currently enrolling pharmacies. Inhalers usually go to landfills because they can't be recycled by curbside recyclers.

The program will take place in Atlanta; Boston; Chicago; Dallas; Denver; Los Angeles; Milwaukee; Minneapolis; St. Paul, Minn.; New York; Philadelphia; Salt Lake City; San Francisco; Oakland, Calif.; Seattle; St. Louis; Anchorage, Alaska; Austin, Texas; Columbus, Ohio; Eugene, Ore.; Portland, Ore.; Grand Rapids, Mich.; Huntsville, Ala.; Jacksonville, Fla.; Kansas City, Mo.; Lexington, Ky.; Louisville, Ky.; Raleigh-Durham, N.C.; Richmond, Va.; and Syracuse, N.Y.

"The Complete the Cycle recycling program provides an in-store location for people to drop off empty GSK respiratory inhalers for shipment to a specialized recycler," GSK SVP respiratory business area Jorge Bartolome said. "GSK piloted the program earlier in five markets and collected nearly 2,700 inhalers. By expanding to 31 U.S. markets, we hope to recycle more than 100,000 empty GSK inhalers."

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