RETURN OF UNUSED and UNEXPIRED MEDICINES (RUUM)

Every year unused and unexpired medicines are wasted in our homes. Being special waste, the disposal process causes damage to the whole community, both environmentally and economically. These medications can however represent a valuable resource for those who cannot access treatment due to poverty. For this reason, since 2013 Banco Farmaceutico has been promoting the Return of Unused and Unexpired Medicines (RUUM) project. Easily identifiable special collection containers are placed inside the participating pharmacies, where everyone, assisted by the pharmacist who guarantees the correctness of the operation, can donate the medicaments they no longer need. These are then delivered to charities affiliated with Banco Farmaceutico. In 2019, 204.806 packs of medicines have been collected in 425 pharmacies for a value of 3.252.401 Euros and have been delivered to 114 charities.

• What can be donated. Unused medicaments, with at least 8 months to expiry date, correctly stored and with their original primary and secondary packaging still intact.
• What cannot be donated. Medicaments listed in the tables of narcotic and psychotropic substances, medicines needing cold chain and only for hospital use are excluded.

Nothing is charged neither to the pharmacists nor to the receiving charities.