The rise of the green general practice

Dear Editor/ Dear Jessica Powell,

I was delighted to see an article in the BMJ highlighting green initiatives in General Practice. However, when I read the article I was disappointed with the section on inhalers.

"Where MDIs are still needed, many practices are working on establishing “green disposal” schemes for patients to recycle them in an environmentally friendly way."

There is currently a very limited scheme for inhaler recycling (Teva) open to pharmacies.

There was a bigger scheme run by GSK which is now finished. https://uk.gsk.com/en-gb/responsibility/our-planet/complete-the-cycle/

There is also the issue of making non MDI inhaler devices more competitive and acceptable to patients.

This is not up to GP practices to sort this out but the pharmaceutical companies

Dr Claudia Williams
GP at Moatfield Surgery, West Sussex