SIGRE celebrates its 10th anniversary in Extremadura.
under the motto: 10 years sharing your concern for the environment ”.
-Extremadura was the second autonomous community were introduced where the SIGRE points at pharmacies and is one of the most active in the recycling of packaging and remnants of drug
-there are 665 points SIGRE in pharmacies of Extremadura at the disposal of the citizen to properly recycle packaging and remnants of medicines
-Dª pharmacy. Matilde Torres Muñoz, Caceres, has been honored by SIGRE in the medicine prizes and the environment, in the category of best environmental initiative ”
Mérida, February 2012.- SIGRE medicine and environment, entity created by the pharmaceutical sector non-profit, commemorates the motto 10 years sharing your concern for the environment ”, the 10th anniversary of the introduction of the SIGRE points in Extremadura and the beginning of the recycling of packaging and remnants of medicines in the community.
Extremadura was the second autonomous community in our country where introduced collection of packaging and remnants of medicines, so that citizens have a comfortable system and with all the health guarantees to give the proper environmental treatment to these residues.
SIGRE pursues a twofold objective. On the one hand, the environmental, to avoid this waste are thrown away or throw down the drain with the possible consequences that these bad practices can have for our environment; and, on the other hand, the toilet, to promote healthy habits, as no accumulation unnecessary medicines in the homes, the periodic review of the domestic first aid kit or improper self-medication, in short, encouraging the responsible use of medicines.
To celebrate this anniversary, SIGRE has organized an informative meeting in the Assembly of Extremadura, Mérida, which had been chaired by the Vice-President of the Assembly of Extremadura, Consuelo Rodriguez PÃriz; by the Minister of health and Social policy, Javier Fernández Perianes; and by the Director General of environment of the Department of agriculture, Rural Development, environment and energy, Henry Julian sources.
The Act has also benefited from the presence of the President of the Extremadura Council of official colleges of pharmacists, Cecilio Venegas, and Director General of SIGRE, Juan Carlos Mampaso.
During the event, a review of the work developed by the pharmaceutical industry, the distribution and the offices of pharmacy in Extremadura during this decade to raise awareness among citizens of the need to make a responsible use of the medicinal product, as well as the important role played by public administrations has beenthe field health and environmental institutions and, of course, the media in this work.
During his speech, Juan Carlos Mampaso, Director-General of SIGRE, has highlighted that society of recycling is not a fad nor an ephemeral invention. Our commitment to the environment must be and will be permanent. To do this, we want to continue with the complicity of the entire society to achieve that in the future all residues of medicines that we generate in our homes receive a proper environmental treatment ”.
Thanks to the collaboration and support of all, SIGRE rapidly became of pioneering a project to become an integrated system of management consolidated in our society that, in ten years, has managed to introduce the habit of recycling of packaging and remnants of medicines in Extremadura households.
In this regard, Juan Carlos Mampaso, Director-General of SIGRE, referred to this important development, stating: with this Act of celebration of the 10th anniversary in Extremadura pharmaceutical has commemorated putting up a unique and innovative project which has placed the European avant-garde of the recycling of medications to Spain ”.
recycling of medications in Extremadura
in December 2001 was carried out the implementation of the SIGRE points in Extremadura, making it as the second autonomous community to launch in our country of such waste collection.
Since then, he has attended a positive trend in health and environmental habits of the people of Extremadura. If in 2001, at the time of the introduction of SIGRE, 43% of people get rid of packaging and remnants of medicines throwing trash or drainage, with the consequent risk of this bad habit, currently, almost 80% of citizens, uses the SIGRE point of the pharmacy to deposit such waste.
In this period of time, the cooperation of citizens through the 665 points SIGRE existing pharmacies in Extremadura is has more than doubled to reach in 2011, the figure average collection of 68,97 grams of packaging and remnants of medicines per capita. This annual collection per capita ratio approaches each year more than the national average, which last year stood at 77,75 grams per inhabitant.
By provinces, the cooperation of citizens in 2011 was the following: in Badajoz, in the 374 points SIGRE is reciclaron 73,61 annual grams of packaging and remnants of medicines per capita. In Caceres, through its 291 SIGRE points, the middle was 61,20 grams.
What deposit in the SIGRE point
Firstly, it is important to note that any box of cardboard or packaging (blister, vial, tube, bottle, on, etc.) which have contained a drug, even if it is empty, must always carried the SIGRE point of Pharmacy and never deposit it in the yellow container or any other container, as they contain traces of drugs that require specific environmental treatment.
In the SIGRE point of the pharmacy must also deposit all those medicines that are expired, are in a bad state of preservation or you no longer need.
In this way, the pharmaceutical industry, together with pharmacists and the distribution of the sector, they want to promote the responsible use of the medicinal product, both from the environmental point of view, closing the cycle of life of the drug in a responsible manner and promoting care for nature; from the health point of view, contributing to the improvement of our habits and increasing awareness to the citizens of the importance of periodically reviewing the kit or respect prescribed treatments, both in its duration, in doses and times.
Awards drug-environment
Within the actions framed in the 10th anniversary of the introduction of the SIGRE points in the offices of pharmacy, SIGRE instituted last year the medicine awards and environment. With these awards, the entity distinguishes the work of awareness-raising and environmental initiatives developed by the agents of the pharmaceutical sector to achieve a greater public awareness in the responsible use of the medicinal product, both from the health and environmental point of view, as well as to protect the environment.
Among the awards given, Dª pharmacy. Matilde Torres Muñoz, Caceres, has received the award in the category of best environmental initiative ”, by the application during the last five years of a preventative model that has called professional initiative and accountability ”.
