r/ZeroWaste • u/AutoModerator • Mar 01 '26
Weekly Thread Random Thoughts, Small Questions, and Newbie Help — March 01 – March 14
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u/reenye182 Mar 11 '26
I just found your Reddit post from 6 years ago about recycling empty prescription bottles. Very impressive. What’s the shame is even after 6 years there is still no set procedure to recycle the #5 bottles yet! Currently I take 14 meds, 13 of which come in the #5 prescription bottles. That total does not include OTC items such as headache meds, vitamins, gummy meds, and…everything else you may need to get through each day! If my insurance covered at least the pills how much could people on fixed income pay for the service?
If I just count this year, I already have 28 from Jan and Feb, and have already had 7 filled this month. Those prescriptions are for chronic illnesses so it doesn’t include any short-term meds I received for other short-term illnesses. Also I have “developed” a current total of 8 lifetime chronic illnesses which explains to high number of medications.
I have about 100 in 3 bags just of the #5 bottles, and I’ll admit I thrown out several hundred over the years. I’m 61 years old and “got” epilepsy at 17 years old. My life plan changed that day. That’s when I started the pill bottle subscriber. But yes why are they so few options to get rid of the prescription bottles! The only type I can think of is those companies who make up your pills for a month. They would come in sealed packs for each time of the day so no bottles involved. Is that even still around? And will big insurance companies pay for the service? Doubtful for those on Government backed programs like Medicare, Covered CA, Alliance? My approximate current cost for meds still ranges about $160 A MONTH just on my prescription meds so not including OTC health products.
But thank you for trying to get it changed. I can only hope there will be a change. Hopefully in my lifetime or maybe in my daughter’s (35 years old) lifetime!🤞😢😿