Towards zero waste in pharmacy: Challenges and opportunities in Singapore

Background In line with zero-waste movement, there is a need for pharmacies to start reducing waste. There is no systematic waste minimization efforts by local pharmacies or studies to evaluate their effectiveness. Aim Assess behavioral change factors towards waste minimization at National Cancer Centre Singapore and evaluate effectiveness of recycling effort and patient education campaign. Methods Preliminary surveys were carried out among pharmacy staff, patients/caregivers to assess behavioral change factors. Recycling rate of staff and plastic bag consumption levels of patients/caregivers were measured. Results 46 staff members and 335 patients/caregivers were surveyed. Both populations were optimistic about the suggested green initiatives, 82.6% of staff members viewed recycling as a potential solution to reduce waste and 67.6% of patients and caregivers demonstrated willingness to participate in a Bring Your Own Bag (BYOB) campaign. Recycling efforts improved recycling rates by 53.4% while BYOB campaign resulted in no notable decrease in plastic bag consumption levels. Conclusion This study revealed the need for improvements in current waste management practices in local pharmacies, and demonstrated the effectiveness of implementing a recycling effort. BYOB campaign was not shown to be effective. Follow-up studies should be carried out to capture long-term sustainability data. Future efforts should include studies at other non-specialized local pharmacies.