Recycling Inhalers?

Does anybody know of any way in which used inhalers can be recycled? I get through about 2 a month and I hate seeing them go to landfill. Surely some of there components could be reused?

[Hidden]

Hi , if you can recycle plastic in your area , you can recycle the casing the canister sits in . Nikki

[Hidden]

What about accuhalers (?) though?

[Hidden]

I asked my pharmacist once and he said that accuhalers are not recyclable... I can't guarentee that that information is correct, though; I don't know where he got it from.

Incidentially he also said at the same time that one should not really dispose of the metal cannister bit of the 'puffer' MDIs in the bin, as it is an aerosol containing compressed gas and could be dangerous if pierced or burnt. He suggested returning them to your pharmacy. Errm, I have to confess that I don't actually do this. After all, people put empty hairspray and spray deodorant bottles in the bin all the time (I don't, because I can't use sprays anyway, but I have never heard of it being a problem when others have done it). What have others been told?

Maybe we should have a competition for most inventive use of an empty accuhaler - I vote for sticking stickers on it, attaching thread somehow, and making a cool UFO mobile. Actually, now I come to think of it, scratch that - making a children's toy/ornament out of something that is used elsewhere in the house to deliver medication, and may still contain traces of medication, is probably not one of my cleverer ideas. I'm not so green as I'm cabbage-looking, as my dad would have said.

Anyone got any other cool ideas, tho? Fill with stones and use as a paper-weight? Extra-large ear-rings (would suit PeakSteve, I reckon)? There must be a little cottage industry in it somewhere.

Happy recycling

Em H

[Hidden]

ROTFL!!

[Hidden]

Great suggestion Em, How about as an activity at Fareham peak hols next week the kids could make peaksteve a selection of earrings from used inhalers lol..

Then when steve wearing them,Cathy could take pics and we can sell them on forum to raise money for AUK......... ROTFL

[Hidden]

PeakSteve says, ""You can go off people, you know..."".

Anyway, I already hold a stock of VERY special blackmail-worthy photos of PeakSteve from a previous PEAK hol...

Actually, the profession of one of our volunteers is that of jewellery design and manufacture. I think we should run with this!

[Hidden]

Cufflinks?

[Hidden]

no-I Think Tie Pin. lol

[Hidden]

I use the salamol easie-brethe inhalors and one of the managers/first-aiders who used to work at my work (Sadly he left as he was one of the better ones who know from both angles how to deal with my asthma etc) and he thought the design of the easi-breathe was reaLLY smart and thought it looked like a face and said he had design idea's for old ones! lol.

[Hidden]

Not quite recycling inhalers but i guess if you glued some of the turbohaler lids together and stick the bottom to an old cd you could make a pen holder/desk tidy???

[Hidden]

Cara Wilson says

Dunno..........

[Hidden]

ooohhhh had a new idea...old turbohalers to make skittles and an accuhaler to make the disk to throw at them

(skittles like you get in pubs that is)

[KateMoss]

if you collect enough caps from two different inhalers you will have a drafts set!

This week I used two epipen cases to make the horns on a junk model dragon and I also use old epipen cases for fine forceps which I used when looking at difficult to ID plants & mosses.

My local recycling takes non-volatile aerosols so I pop the canisters in with my metals.

Kate