Evaluation of a specific system of extended producer responsibility for veterinary medicines packaging waste

In Portugal, packaging products for veterinary medicines (VM) are subjected to the extended producer responsibility (EPR) scheme coordinated by a Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO), responsible for the management of both human and VM packaging waste. Despite an 80% recycling target for VM packaging waste, recent years have consistently shown performance below this level. However, there is no compositional data on VM packaging waste in scientific literature, hindering effective problem diagnosis and solution proposals. So, this research proposes a protocol to characterise VM packaging waste entering and leaving a sorting centre and presents the corresponding results. Of the 822.1 kg entering the centre, glass is the predominant material (66.7%, in weight). Often, glass has rubber and metal attached, but this is not recognised as a constraint on recyclability by the glass recycling industry. Biohazardous VM waste was found in the containers dedicated to pharmacologic VM waste, raising a challenge. To evaluate alignment with the principles of circularity, opportunities for waste reduction were assessed but found to be limited by stringent VM regulations. Nevertheless, the potential for recycling could be enhanced through adjustments to the sorting procedures. Moreover, future research should prioritise biohazard risks and operational aspects of recyclability. In addition, discussion and potential reconsideration of recycling rate targets for this waste category are recommended.