Household Pharmaceutical Waste Management Practices in the Johannesburg Area, South Africa

Abstract

Pharmaceutical wastes are expected to increase given the increasing population growth rates and rapidly rising economic burden of human diseases. This challenge calls for appropriate measures for the management of such hazardous wastes. The purpose of this survey was to document and investigate existing practices for the handling, storage, and disposal of household pharmaceutical wastes (HPWs) in the Johannesburg area. Primary data were collected via online surveys with self-administered questionnaires completed by respondents. The research found that 77% (n = 286) of respondents claimed some knowledge about HPWs. Types of medicines that contributed to HPWs included painkillers or analgesics (73%, n = 270) and drugs for treating colds and flu-related illnesses (52%; n = 193). Although there were a few exceptions, the respondents generally exhibited strong disagreements with environmentally unfriendly and health-threatening disposal practices. Moreover, most participants were willing to return expired medicines to pharmacies (40.7%, n = 151), whereas only 8.6% (n = 32) opposed this solution. Awareness levels tended to vary with employment status, educational qualifications, and place of residence. However, place of residence and household size did not correlate with types of pharmaceutical waste. Additionally, the study found that education attainments significantly influenced the willingness of respondents to return pharmaceutical wastes. Finally, there were no significant differences amongst respondents in terms of waste disposal practices. Altogether, the findings suggest the need for targeted efforts to bring about sustainable waste management at a household level.

Guidance provided by pharmacists to customers regarding to destination of unused household medications: disposal of household medications

“…Preventing risks that are demonstrably linked to the quality of our living environments is usually the responsibility of the authorities, but individuals can also adopt precautionary practices [ 41 ]. However, awareness of pharmaceutical pollution in the environment and access to information concerning the proper disposal are significantly associated with participation in take-back programs [ 42 , 43 ].…”

Modeling Predictors of Medication Waste Reduction Intention in Algeria: Extending the Theory of Planned Behavior

“…Ref. [ 4 ] showed that educational level has a significant effect on the willingness to return medication waste to pharmacies in South Africa. Huang et al [ 36 ] reported a lack of awareness regarding the storage and disposal of medications in China, and they confirmed the possibility of improving awareness through education and highlighting the benefits of proper storage and disposal.…”

“…In recent years, the volume of consumption, production [ 1 ], and waste of medications products [ 2 ] has witnessed remarkable growth. Furthermore, with the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for medications grew [ 3 , 4 ], the amount of medication stored in homes has increased [ 5 ], and the volume of medications consumption also surged [ 3 , 6 ], which has caused a growth in the volume of medication waste [ 4 , 6 ]. Unfortunately, the most worrying thing is that all stages of the medication life cycle (production, consumption, and disposal) contribute to environmental contamination [ 7 ].…”

“…Thus, the waste of medications is considered a serious problem which has serious negative consequences on the environment and society [ 13 , 15 , 20 , 25 , 26 , 27 ] and public health [ 6 , 28 , 29 ], and leads to economic and financial losses [ 26 , 30 ] that greatly affect the health care budget [ 19 , 31 ] in various countries of the world. Accordingly, solving this problem requires the concerted efforts of many stakeholders [ 31 ], and taking appropriate measures to reduce medication waste [ 4 ]. According to Smale et al [ 31 ], various stakeholders can contribute effectively to preventing medication waste.…”

“…Despite it all, current research has focused on investigating issues related to the medication waste reality, such as the examination of medication waste volume [ 2 ], medication waste disposal [ 6 , 9 , 12 , 16 , 17 , 33 , 34 ], medication waste practices [ 13 , 27 ], knowledge, awareness, and attitudes towards wasting medications [ 1 , 28 , 35 ], causative factors of medication waste [ 14 ], and determinants of medications storage [ 5 , 36 , 37 ]. Moreover, other studies have focused on medication waste management [ 4 , 8 , 25 , 26 ]. However, little attention has been paid to the medication waste reduction behavior (e.g., refs.…”