Pharmaceutical Waste Management
Provides resources, examples and strategies to reduce, reuse and recycle pharmaceuticals and its associated physical waste to mitigate their environmental impact.
Suggested citation
Lam I, Wong G. Pharmaceutical waste management. Version 1.0 (2025). [Internet]. CASCADES (Creating a Sustainable Canadian Health System in a Climate Crisis). [Cited DATE]. Available from https://cascadescanada.ca/action-areas/pharmacy-and-prescribing/
Support Tools for Implementing the Pharmaceutical Waste Managment Playbook
Use these resources to reduce waste, steward medications responsibly, and strengthen sustainable pharmacy practices across your organization.
Planning for Disasters in Hospital Pharmacies: Developing a Standard Operating Procedure
Access guidance for building disaster-ready pharmacy workflows that protect medication integrity, minimize waste, and maintain safe operations during disruptions.
Sustainable Hospital Pharmacy Scorecard
Assess your pharmacy's current waste practices and identify priority areas for improvement using a standardized sustainability scorecard tailored to hospital settings.
FAQ: Sustainable Hospital Pharmacy Scorecard
Get quick answers to common questions about implementing the Pharmacy Scorecard, understanding indicators, and applying the tool effectively across your organization.
Additional Resources: Safe Drug Disposal
Access guidance on safe drug disposal methods, strategies, and take back programs in Ontario.
Safe Drug Disposal in Ontario Poster
A quick reference poster for staff and patients, outlining safe, responsible, and environmentally conscious methods for drug disposal and highlighting local take-back programs.
Safe Drug Disposal in Ontario Pamphlet
A comprehensive pamphlet providing detailed guidance on safe drug disposal methods, strategies, and participation in provincial take-back programs.
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Other topics
Care pathways
Key actions can minimize the environmental harms of medications throughout their lifecycle and address increased medication-related risks due to climate change.
Many opportunities exist to address the resource intensity of perioperative care while ensuring and promoting high quality care.
Comprehensive person-centered primary and community care can support health and wellbeing and reduce the need for more resource intensive services.
Practitioners across specialties can take meaningful steps to reduce the environmental impacts of their practice and safeguard patient and population health.
Health services can promote health, including by delivering healthy food, effective chronic disease management, and climate-adapted clinical care.
System enablers
Sustainability is intrinsically linked with both quality care and patient safety and can be embedded within these efforts.
Leadership and good governance are needed to develop and deliver effective climate and sustainability strategy.
The shift to climate resilient and sustainable health systems requires accurate assessment of healthcare’s environmental impacts.
Health systems can leverage their purchasing power to influence vendors and shape markets for sustainable and resilient health sector products and services.
Healthy food, digital innovation and effective waste management are among the key enablers of low-carbon, sustainable and climate-resilient health systems.