National Return and Disposal of Unwanted Medicines Program

Overview

The National Return and Disposal of Unwanted Medicines Program (NatRUM) is an Australian Government initiative to support safe disposal of expired and unwanted medicines. The NatRUM Program’s main priority is to collect consumers' expired and unwanted medicines through community pharmacies nationally to help avoid accidental childhood poisoning, medication misuse and toxic releases into the environment. The NatRUM Program commenced in 1998. This program contributes to the Quality Use of Medicines through the facilitation of a national service disposing of medicines in a safe and environmentally friendly manner, predominantly using high temperature incineration. Consumers are able to return their expired and unwanted medicines to any participating community pharmacy across Australia. There is no fee charged either to consumers or community pharmacies for this service. Activities currently funded under this program include providing education services to health professionals and consumers on the safe disposal of unwanted medicines. The objective of the NatRUM Program is to facilitate a national service, at no cost to the consumer or community pharmacy, for the collection and disposal of unwanted and/or expired medicines for destruction in an environmentally friendly manner. To view the grant opportunity documents, please select the red "GO Documents" button on the left hand side.