Practical Advice Around Inhaler Recycling

Recycling is an important aspect towards delivering greener respiratory care. To put this into context, there are approximately 73 million inhalers currently used in the UK every year¹ with a high proportion sent to landfill with almost half their usable propellant left inside.² The UK government ambition is to ensure that at least 50% of pMDIs are recycled.³

In this webinar Carol Stonham touches on principle considerations towards waste management, discussing the differences between recycling and incineration. She also tries to raise awareness on how to avoid and manage medication waste in the most appropriate way, and highlights the shared responsibility between patients, GPs, Nurses and pharmacists

References

1. Chiesi data on file.
2. BTS. Position Statement. The Environment and Lung Health 2020. Available at: https://www.brit-thoracic.org.uk/about-us/our-strategic-priorities/environment-and-lung-health/
3. House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee. UK progress on reducing F-gas emissions. 18 April 2018 Available at: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmenvaud/469/469.pdf 

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• Carol Stonham, MBE

  Primary Care Nurse Practitioner

  Read biography
  Carol Stonham, MBE

  Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Gloucestershire CCG

  Role and Location

  Ms Stonham works at Gloucestershire CCG on the Respiratory Clinical Programme Group and runs a locality-based asthma FeNO service. Ms Stonham has also been appointed as a co-clinical lead of the NHSE South West Respiratory Network.

  Education

  Carol Stonham qualified as a Registered Nurse in 1986 in Bristol and has worked in Primary Care in Gloucestershire since 1990. Ms Stonham has completed her MSc in Respiratory Care and is an independent prescriber. 

  Research

  Ms Stonham has previously been conducted research around the use of FeNO in primary care and was involved in respiratory nurse education. More recently her interests have moved to sustainable respiratory healthcare.

  Memberships

  Ms Stonham is current Executive Chair of PCRS – the first non-doctor and first female to take the chair. She is also a director of the UK Lung Cancer Coalition, and a board member of the UK Inhaler Group and National Asthma and COPD Audit and is chairing NHSE LTP Early and Accurate Diagnosis work stream as well as sitting on the NHS Long Term Plan Respiratory Delivery Board. She also co-chairs the Lung Health Task Force early and accurate diagnosis group.