New ‘green’ way to dispose of used inhalers at Salisbury District Hospital
It will help reduce our own carbon footprint
There’s a new ‘green’ way to dispose of used inhalers at Salisbury District Hospital.
Even when they’re finished, inhalers contain gases that are damaging to the environment and contribute to climate change.
Now though, we can dispose of our old inhalers at the Children’s Outpatients department at the hospital.
The returned inhalers will then be incinerated, destroying the greenhouse gases, which reduces our own carbon footprint.
Seb Gray a consultant paediatrician from Salisbury District Hospital said, "This is a great initiative by our Sustainability Team to spread the message of the greenest way to dispose of inhalers."
#AskAboutAsthma week
This week, 11th-17th September, is known as 'Week 38' in the NHS. It's the week where Asthma attack cases rise across the nation following children's return to schools.
The campaign asks children and young people, their families and people involved in their care to ensure four simple and effective measures are taken to help control their asthma.
The recommendations include getting an asthma action plan in place, which has been found to make it four times less likely for an asthma sufferer to have to visit hospital.
It's also advised that children and young people know how to use inhalers correctly.
"There's no point giving medication if they're not going to the right place," Mr Gray said.
Those with asthma are urged to make annual review appointments and also to be reviewed after any attack.
The final consideration is of air quality, which can trigger asthma indoors as well as outdoors.
Mr Gray said people with asthma need to know how to look up the daily air quality index as sufferers may need to change their behaviours to stop an attack.