GUISELEY veterinary practice, White Cross Vets, has partnered with Yorkshire waste management and recycling company, MYGroup, to launch an innovative recycling scheme to prevent thousands of medicine blister packs ending up in landfill each year.

As well as recycling its own blister packs used for pet medication, White Cross Vets is urging local residents in and around Guiseley to bring in their empty tablet and pill blister packs to be recycled in a dedicated collection box in the practice’s reception area.

MYGroup will process the collected blister packs through its state-of-the-art facility in Hull, East Yorkshire, where the waste material will be separated and remanufactured back into supply chains and new material.

This includes the company’s MYboard™, similar in consistency to plywood and used widely for construction, joinery, shop and event fittings, as well as to manufacture furniture for use in commercial and community settings, such as benches and desks for schools.

Tom Ward, clinic director from White Cross Vets in Guiseley, said: “Very few local authorities or waste companies can recycle blister packs, which are used to package tablets and pills, meaning they usually end up in landfill or incineration.

“As a practice we use thousands of blister packs every year and we’re conscious that we need to look after our environment, so when we discovered there is now a ground-breaking recycling solution through MYGroup, it was obvious we needed to get involved.

“We’re also pleased to be able to make it available to local people in the surrounding area who can collect the blister packs they use at home and drop them off with us for recycling, regardless of whether or not they’re a client or even a pet owner. The initial feedback we’ve received has been very positive and we’re now beginning to see more and more blister packs being recycled each week as the scheme begins to grow.”

Steve Carrie, group director from MYGroup, said: “MYGroup offers the only circular solution on the market for recycling blister packs and we’re only just getting started in this critical waste space to save such a ubiquitous item from landfill or incineration.

“It’s exciting to be working with White Cross Vets on this initiative and to be supporting them in making such a positive change to reduce the practice’s carbon footprint.”

MYGroup launched its first blister pack recycling scheme earlier this year across a series of GP surgeries and pharmacies in York, with over 185,000 waste blister packs collected so far.

Each full box that White Cross Vets collects carries an approximate carbon saving of 30kg, which is roughly the equivalent of driving nearly 800 miles in a car.

Anyone wanting to recycle blister packs can drop them off at White Cross Vets in Guiseley.