How to Recycle Pharmaceutical Bottles
Plastic prescription and over-the-counter medication bottles, typically made from HDPE or PET plastic. Americans discard 194 billion medication bottles annually, creating significant plastic waste. While the bottles themselves are recyclable plastic, privacy concerns and medication residues complicate recycling. Some pharmacies offer bottle take-back programs for safe disposal and recycling.
- 1Remove all medication residues by rinsing thoroughly with water
- 2Remove or completely black out all personal information on labels
- 3Remove prescription labels completely - soaking helps adhesive release
- 4Separate caps and bottles if required by local recycling program
- 5Check bottle bottom for recycling code (#1 PET or #2 HDPE typically)
- 6Ensure bottles are completely dry to prevent mold during storage
- 7Sort by plastic type and color for optimal recycling value
- Pharmacy take-back programs (CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid)
- Municipal recycling programs (after label removal)
- Specialized medical plastic recycling facilities
- Pharmaceutical manufacturer take-back programs
- Hospital pharmacy waste programs
- Plastic recycling facilities accepting medical materials
Privacy laws may require complete label removal before recycling. Some controlled substance bottles require special handling. Pharmacy take-back programs often handle privacy destruction and ensure proper recycling. Large institutional bottles may have different disposal requirements than consumer bottles.
Pharmaceutical bottle recycling prevents 1.8 pounds of CO2 per pound of plastic recycled. However, privacy concerns mean only 15% currently enter recycling streams. Bottle reuse programs can extend container life by 5-10 cycles, dramatically reducing environmental impact while maintaining medication safety.
- Reuse clean bottles for non-medical storage
- Participate in pharmacy bottle reuse programs
- Choose generic medications with less packaging
- Use mail-order pharmacies with more efficient packaging
Accepted
- Clean prescription medication bottles
- Over-the-counter medication bottles
- Vitamin and supplement bottles
- Large institutional medication containers
- Pharmacy bottles of all sizes
- Medication bottle caps and closures
Not Accepted
- Bottles with medication residues
- Bottles with labels containing personal information
- Chemotherapy medication bottles (hazardous waste)
- Bottles contaminated with controlled substances
- Damaged or cracked medication bottles
Estimated value: $0.02-0.05 per pound for clean medication bottle plastic
Manufacturer/Retail Take‑Back
- Medication residues
- Personal health information on labels
- Adhesive chemicals from labels
- Potential controlled substance contamination
Can I put medication bottles in regular recycling if I remove the labels?
Generally yes for the plastic bottle, but some programs prefer medical plastic recycling. Check locally - some require complete label removal while others accept bottles with blackened-out information.
What should I do with child-resistant caps?
Most can be recycled with the bottles if they're the same plastic type. Some programs require separation. Child-resistant mechanisms are typically recyclable plastic components.
Are there any medication bottles I shouldn't try to clean for recycling?
Yes - chemotherapy drug bottles and controlled substance containers should go through specialized hazardous waste disposal, not regular recycling.
Can pharmacies reuse returned medication bottles?
Not for prescription medications due to safety regulations, but some have programs for reusing bottles for non-medical purposes or ensuring proper recycling.