21 August 2025
NHS Borders is asking the public to play their part in reducing medicine waste to help ensure that resources can be focused where they are needed most – on patient care.
Although prescriptions are free for patients in Scotland, they cost NHS Borders over £30 million every year, which is the equivalent of around £84,000 every day or £2.5 million per month.
When medicines are ordered but go unused, this money is lost. Every year in the Borders, 8.6 tonnes of medicine is wasted – which is roughly the weight of two elephants. None of this can be reused, even if it is returned unopened, and must be disposed of safely at significant cost to us.
Patients are being reminded that stockpiling medicines can lead to unnecessary waste and risks if medicines expire before they are needed. Expired or unwanted medicines should always be returned to your local pharmacy for safe disposal. Where possible, you should recycle carboard outer packaging at home before returning medicine containing blisters and bottles to your Community Pharmacy, as disposing of medical waste can cost up to eight times more than household recycling.
Malcolm Clubb, Director of Pharmacy at NHS Borders, said: “Every pound we spend on wasted or unused medicines is a pound that could have been spent on frontline care for you and your loved ones. By only ordering the medicines you need, when you need them, you can make a real difference to how our resources are used. Together, we can reduce medicine waste and make sure more of our resources go directly towards improving patient care for the people of the Scottish Borders.”