The correct disposal of medicines raises questions time and again and is regulated differently at municipal level. In Erlangen and the surrounding area, innovative approaches are being taken and new standards are being set. In cooperation with the waste management association of the city of Erlangen and the district of Erlangen-Höchstadt, the Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg has established a new type of recovery process. They are intended to make old pharmaceuticals usable again for research purposes. The special-purpose association collects old medicines and makes them available to the university. On the other hand, it ensures the proper disposal of non-recyclable drug residues.
Recycling rate is 50 percent
At Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, initial research began in 2016 as part of the End-of-Life Medicines Initiative to recover active ingredients from old medicines on a broad basis. The aim is to reuse valuable active ingredients from old medicines, which would otherwise end up in residual waste and incineration, for research purposes such as the development of new antibiotics. The recovered active ingredients are not used on humans or animals.
The result is a globally unique initiative. Four tons of medicines were collected in 2022. The average recycling rate is 50 percent. "In the laboratories at Friedrich-Alexander University, the recovery processes that have already been developed are being continuously optimized, thus promoting research and teaching in Germany in the long term," explains Prof. Markus Heinrich from the university's Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy.
In addition, the regional collection of used pharmaceuticals, which previously covered the city of Erlangen and the districts of Erlangen-Höchstadt and Forchheim, has been expanded in recent months to include numerous partners throughout Germany. The partners now include several large university hospitals and hospital associations. The steadily growing number and the respective quantities of available active ingredients have also made it possible to pass on the chemical compounds to other universities and research institutes for around two years. Several company collaborations are also investigating how industrial off-specification batches and adjustment residues, which previously had to be destroyed at great expense, can be made usable.
Special-purpose association innovates in the sustainable handling of recyclable materials
Mayor Florian Janik welcomes the initiative: "A lot of waste contains valuable materials that can be reused. With various projects, such as the city-wide collection of used cooking oil, we are ensuring greater sustainability in everyday life. In line with this strategy, the city and the waste management association are happy to support the initiative." The waste management association has been innovative in the sustainable handling of recyclable materials for many years. It has been possible to dispose of used grease there for more than 20 years. Wax and cork, for example, are also collected for reuse.
Do not dispose of old medicines in the toilet
Anyone wishing to make medicines available for the used medicines initiative can hand them in at pharmacies in the city. They can also be thrown into the collection containers at the Erlangen waste transfer station or at the Herzogenaurach and Medbach recycling centers. Old medicines must not be disposed of down the sink or toilet.
(A short version of the text can be found in the city newspaper "Rathausplatz 1" - May 2024 issue)
