Plan to recycle unused medicines could save €1.5billion a year

France’s Health Minister Catherine Vautrin is considering a move to put medical products that are not expired, and are returned to pharmacies, back on the market for reselling. 

The move would see products repackaged, sometimes individually, in a bid to reduce waste and save the social security system €1.5billion a year.

Dealing with unused medicines and putting them into sorting bins is part of a pharmacist’s daily tasks. “I take the medicine, remove it from its secondary packaging and the box, and then I throw it away," one pharmacist told France 2. 

The paper and plastic are recycled, but the medicines – tablets, capsules, ointments, creams, syrups and drops – are incinerated to produce energy in the form of steam and electricity.

However, one pharmacist interviewed said that while the minister’s proposal is interesting, it may be difficult to implement for low-cost medicines. “Here, I have a medicine that costs €3.60. If there is a whole recycling and security process that takes a lot of time, and therefore money, it won’t be profitable,” said Yorick Berger, a pharmacist in Paris.

On the other hand, if the price of the tablet exceeds £10, repackaging becomes advantageous. “There are some very expensive medicines, such as cancer drugs, which can sometimes cost several hundred or even several thousand pounds. So when these drugs are returned to us, either because the patient has died or because they are changing their treatment, it’s a shame to throw them away,” said Philippe Besset, president of the Federation of Pharmaceutical Unions.

Any medicines to be reused would first be checked and analysed before being made available to other patients.

Surf park plan is making waves

Plans to build a surf park in Vendée by 2027, featuring a huge wave pool the equivalent size of four Olympic-sized swimming pools, are being opposed... by local surfers.

They say the proposed park, to be built just 250m from the coast at Talmont-Saint-Hilaire, is not in the spirit of surfing. “It’s not really the essence of surfing. The essence of surfing is also learning about the currents, the weather and having a certain connection with nature,” surfer Yann Le Berichel told France Télévisions.

Other opponents point to the environmental impact, saying the wave pool will consume a lot of energy and need to be powered by an ocean pumping system. The water would have to be desalinated and the salt discharged back into the sea. They say not enough environmental impact studies have been made by the park owners.

Speaking of the planned project, Stéphane Héron, a member of the ‘Enough waves in Talmont’ collective, said: “They put forward this eco-responsibility, saying: ‘We're using seawater, it’s the first time in France, etc.’ And when you study the project, you realise that it doesn’t make sense.”

The mayor supports the project – which is no longer open to appeal – and points to the creation of 80 jobs.

Cameras to spot Sorgues fly-tippers

Surveillance cameras installed by authorities at eight strategic locations in the town centre of Sorgues (Vaucluse) to catch fly-tippers, caught 180 offences being committed in the first month.

Although the mairie initially wanted to take an educational approach, it decided to take a tougher stance, with financial penalties for those caught illegally dumping rubbish. Fines can quickly mount up, ranging from €200 to €6,000.

Thierry Lagneau, mayor of Sorgues, told France Bleu: “Today, this behaviour is unacceptable. It is an act that harms everyone. It requires our services to intervene too regularly to clear fly-tipping wherever it occurs. And so, as a result, we had to find a way to combat this offence.

“This is a good opportunity to remind everyone that voluntary collection points and underground containers are not waste disposal sites.”