Joint Kingston University medicine disposal project receives public praise

A project led by Kingston University students and Kingston Council to educate the public on how to dispose of medicine safely has received positive feedback from pharmacy users. 

The Let’s Dispose of Unused Medicines Safely project launched in October 2025 and saw students from Kingston’s Science Foundation Year course work with a local pharmacy to inform the public on how to dispose of medication while causing minimal environmental harm.

The students did this by designing informative stickers which were printed by My Blu Print Ltd and then placed on products from The Kingston Pharmacy.

Around £90 million of unused medicine is stored in UK households with much of it ending up in either landfill or waterways. Customers at the pharmacy praised the scheme and how helpful the stickers the students designed were.

Rifqa Jibara, Superintendent Pharmacist at The Kingston Pharmacy also praised the project. “In day-to-day practice, we often see patients holding onto medicines they no longer need, simply because they’re unsure what to do with them or most medicine disposal options are inconvenient,” she said.

“This initiative has helped normalise returning medicine to the pharmacy. A lot of patients just need that little reminder. Once they’re aware, they’re very willing to bring medicines back and we’ve noticed more patients taking that step.”

The project also aims to enhance students’ employability skills while fostering ambition and enterprise through collaboration with local businesses. This aligns with the University’s Future Skills programme and Sustainability Plan.

Academic lead for the project Dr Diyan Gunasekera explained the importance of the project for the students. “This project gave our students an authentic learning experience, enabling them to apply their understanding of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) to a real-world sustainability challenge.

“By partnering with Kingston’s community pharmacy to promote responsible medicine disposal, they extended their learning beyond the classroom and made a meaningful contribution to the community. We are proud of their commitment, creativity and the positive impact they have achieved together.’’

The project was conducted in collaboration with Ioanna Rossi who leads on green economy strategy and activities in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, she said: "The volume of unused medicines is increasing, making their disposal a critical issue. This project has taken an innovative and collaborative approach to tackle this issue. Working with Kingston University has been an excellent experience in designing the project and actively engaging students, local pharmacies, hospitals and residents. We are now looking to scale this up.”

· Find out more about studying Science Foundation Year at Kingston University
· Find out more about the Let’s Dispose of Unused Medicines Safely project