#medsdisposal scales new heights to success
14.07.16
The #medsdisposal campaign is hitting new highs and breaking down barriers empowering people to dispose of their unwanted medicines safely and efficiently. It’s time to wax lyrical about waste.
Before we kick off with the progress statistics, though, let’s have a brief recap of what this is all about. #medsdisposal is a campaign to raise awareness about how to dispose of unused or expired medicines appropriately in Europe. It’s a joint initiative between European healthcare professional associations, industry and student organisations that gathers information on disposal schemes across Europe in one convenient, interactive webpage.
#medsdisposal provides answers to important questions as to how pharmaceuticals can end up in the environment, and provides information on how we can avoid this by disposing of them properly. The main website also offers an easy-to-read FAQ section, designed to answer the most relevant questions on medicines disposal in a universally accessible manner.
Beyond the helpful information available on the website, the #medsdisposal message has also been spread via an entertaining and informative video. It has successfully registered more than 4000 views on YouTube. To widen its reach and broaden its appeal, it has also been translated into 11 European languages.
It has also made a splash in other parts of the social media scene. For example, the #medsdisposal campaign’s efforts on Twitter are supported by 257 individuals and organisations, including EU institutions, healthcare professionals, pharma magazines, universities, national water bodies and pharma companies and associations, as well as national associations in charge of medsdisposal. The campaign generated 2,416,556 Twitter impressions so far. It is this collaborative action that is ensuring the environmental message is being heard across a wide audience.
Overall support for #medsdisposal is on the rise too. Expanding beyond its original founders, the campaign has now received the backing of a further five organisations, including Sigre Environment and Health (Spain); Europen ¬– the European organisation for packaging and the environment; FIP – the international pharmaceutical federation; Prodent Care – the dental clinic and centre for dental implantology; and the Swedish dental association.
So, one year into the campaign, our reach is expanding and our message spreading, paving the way for a cleaner, safer environment. #medsdisposal will continue to grow, and this is a journey we need to take together to inform patients and consumers that the responsible disposal of medicines really benefits our world.
The #medsdisposal campaign is a joint initiative between European healthcare, industry and student organisations including:
