A Growing Challenge and Why It Matters
Australia’s healthcare system is facing a growing challenge. As more patients rely on injectable therapies to manage chronic conditions such as diabetes and obesity, the volume of medical waste continues to rise. Injection pens have become essential to modern care, yet most are designed for single use and ultimately end up in landfill. This creates a tension between improving patient outcomes and managing environmental impact, one that the healthcare sector can no longer ignore.
The need for solutions like this is becoming increasingly urgent. Around 1.5 million Australians live with diabetes, many of whom depend on injectable therapies. At the same time, waste infrastructure is under pressure, with Sydney projected to face landfill capacity constraints within the decade.
Injection pens are made from high-quality materials, yet without dedicated recovery systems, those resources are lost. The current linear model of use and disposal is no longer sustainable at scale. This challenge presents an opportunity to rethink how healthcare products are managed at end of life.
A new collaboration is working to address this issue. Novo Nordisk has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Pharmacycle, TerryWhite Chemmart, Northern Sydney Local Health District, and St Vincent’s Hospital Sydney to pilot Australia’s first dedicated recycling program for medical injection pens.
The initiative is part of Novo Nordisk’s global ReMed™ program, which focuses on recovering materials from used devices and reintroducing them into the value chain. Bringing this program to Australia marks an important step in applying circular economy principles within the local healthcare system.
At its core, the pilot is exploring whether a practical, end-to-end solution can be created to recover valuable materials from devices that are currently discarded.
The pilot is expected to launch in the second half of 2026, subject to operational readiness. Patients using Novo Nordisk injection pens will be able to return their used devices at participating TerryWhite Chemmart pharmacies in Sydney, as well as at Royal North Shore Hospital and St Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney. From there, the program will manage safe transport, sorting, and processing, while also assessing how the model could scale more broadly.
Pharmacycle plays a central role in enabling this shift. As a product stewardship and recycling partner, Pharmacycle focuses on designing safe, compliant collection systems and managing complex healthcare waste streams.
The collaboration reflects a broader effort to bring together manufacturers, pharmacies, hospitals, and sustainability partners to build practical and transparent solutions. It demonstrates how coordinated action across the healthcare ecosystem can drive meaningful change.
Globally, programs such as ReMed™ have already shown that materials from used injection pens can be recovered and repurposed. The Australian pilot builds on this foundation, with a focus on local infrastructure, patient behaviour, and real-world implementation.
While still in its early stages, the initiative has the potential to inform larger-scale programs across the country. It signals a shift toward more circular systems in healthcare, where products are designed and managed with their full lifecycle in mind. This pilot represents more than a single program. It is an early step toward redefining how healthcare systems think about waste, materials, and responsibility.
At Pharmacycle, we see this as part of a broader transition. Healthcare does not need to come at the expense of the environment. With the right systems and partnerships in place, it is possible to deliver both.
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