Every year an estimated £1.5 million is lost across the East Riding of Yorkshire through medicine waste alone. This is why we have launched a campaign to encourage patients to only order what they need, return unwanted medicines to their pharmacy for safe disposal and not to stock pile medicines.

Repeat prescriptions that are ordered and collected, but not used are one of our biggest problems. We are asking for patients on repeat prescriptions to think about what they are ordering and only ask for what they need and are running out of, any of the medicines can be dispensed when needed at a later date.

Once medicines have been dispensed, they cannot be recycled.  If your pharmacist does give somebody medicine they no longer require, they should give it back straight away, before leaving the chemist.

Patients should ideally book a regular medicine review with their local pharmacist or GP, to help manage their medicines in the best possible way for them.

The £1.5million that could potentially be saved each year in the East Riding of Yorkshire through better medicine management could instead be spent on:

• 17 district nurses.
• 71 drug treatment courses for breast cancer.
• A year's support with a Dementia Advisor for 1,350 people diagnosed with early dementia.

Click here to find out about the way to order repeat prescriptions.