Public participation in the recycling of medicinal waste and its packaging continues to grow across Spain. According to the latest annual figures from SIGRE, in 2025, 5,397,903 kilograms of empty packaging or packaging containing traces of medicines were collected via SIGRE collection points in pharmacies, representing a 5.16 per cent increase on the previous year.

This progress confirms the consolidation of an environmental and health habit that is becoming increasingly widespread amongst the population: regularly checking the home medicine cabinet and disposing of expired medicines, leftover medicines from completed courses of treatment and their packaging – even if empty – at a SIGRE collection point.

In terms of public participation, the national average stood at 109.92 grams per inhabitant per year and 20.19 kilograms per pharmacy per month.

These results are underpinned by the widespread reach of a system implemented throughout Spain, with 22,280 participating pharmacies as at the end of 2025, which provide the public with a nearby, accessible and trustworthy point for the correct disposal of this waste.

“These figures show that the public is increasingly committed to looking after their health and the environment. Disposing of medicine waste at a SIGRE collection point is a simple gesture, but one with a huge impact: it avoids risks in the home, prevents uncontrolled self-medication and helps ensure that this waste does not end up polluting soil, rivers or seas,” says Miguel Vega, SIGRE’s managing director.

A particularly important step after the holidays

SIGRE reminds us that returning to a routine after the summer holidays is a good time to check the home medicine cabinet, as getting into this habit is very important for looking after our health. During this check, you should remove any out-of-date medicines, those no longer needed, and empty containers or those containing traces of medicine, and deposit them at the SIGRE collection point in the pharmacy. This includes medicines for our pets as well.

However, needles, thermometers, X-rays, batteries, chemicals, self-test kits or other waste with specific disposal channels should not be disposed of at the SIGRE collection point

A system that brings together public health, the environment and the circular economy

Waste deposited by members of the public at SIGRE collection points enters a specific cycle that meets all health and environmental standards. The pharmaceutical distribution network collects it via reverse logistics, making use of the journeys it already makes to pharmacies, which helps to reduce the environmental impact of transport and maintain the traceability of the waste.

The waste is then transported to the Packaging and Medicinal Waste Sorting Plant, located in Tudela de Duero, Valladolid. At this facility, the use of artificial intelligence, robotics and advanced sorting systems enables a very significant proportion of the collected packaging materials to be recycled – up to 74.93 per cent by 2025.

Medicine residues and packaging that cannot be recycled are sent for energy recovery, thereby preventing their improper disposal and helping to reduce the use of fossil fuels.

This model, driven by the pharmaceutical industry in collaboration with distributors and pharmacies, and supported by public authorities, will mark its 25th anniversary in 2026. Over this quarter of a century, SIGRE has established itself as an international example of sectoral collaboration to properly close the life cycle of medicines, under a One Health approach that links human health with the health of the planet.

25 years of commitment to sustainability

As well as ensuring the proper management of medicines and their packaging waste, SIGRE works with the pharmaceutical industry to reduce the environmental impact of packaging right from the design stage. Since 2000, pharmaceutical companies have driven thousands of prevention and eco-design initiatives to make packaging lighter, improve its recyclability and reduce the use of materials, whilst always ensuring the safety, preservation and quality of medicines.

Currently, one in three medicines sold in Spain features some form of environmental improvement in its packaging, and the average weight of pharmaceutical packaging has fallen by more than 25 per cent over the last two decades.

“Over the past 25 years, we have seen that public health, sustainability and the circular economy can progress hand in hand. The responsible use of medicines does not end when treatment is complete: it ends when the waste is disposed of correctly at a SIGRE collection point,” concludes Miguel Vega.