PHARMACIES

By taking part in the SIGRE scheme, pharmacists play an essential role in informing, publicising and encouraging users to deposit unused and expired medicines and their packaging in the white container in the pharmacy.

Pharmacies are represented in SIGRE by the General Board of Official Pharmacists' Associations (CGCOF), an organisation bringing together the Official Pharmacists' Associations of the different Spanish provinces.

The pharmacies that have joined the scheme display a sign identifying them as Punto SIGREs for information on and collection of medicines.

By fostering the responsible use of medicines and contributing to closing their life cycle correctly, professional pharmacists perform a very special function by:

• Providing the public with a handy, convenient place to deposit unused medicines.
          
• Guaranteeing the control and storage of unused medicines.
   
• Extending their usual functions of providing advice to consumers on the use and consumption of medicines, providing a new, environmental, service to society. 

By taking part in the SIGRE scheme, pharmacists meet their environmental obligations as dispensers of medicines, applying the principle of shared responsibility according to which everyone involved in the production and distribution of packaged products must contribute to managing the waste generated by the consumption of these products.

The collection of unused medicines at pharmacies is the system recommended and fostered by the Spanish and European health authorities.