Can you recycle plastic medicine bottles?
♻️ Yes — kerbside recycling
Recycling bin once empty and rinsed; contents back to a pharmacy
Empty plastic pill and liquid-medicine bottles can be rinsed and recycled kerbside like any other plastic bottle — but any remaining medicine must go back to a pharmacy first, never down the sink or in a bin. Child-resistant caps can stay on. Brown glass medicine bottles go in glass recycling.
Tips
- Return unused medicines to any pharmacy first
- Rinse thoroughly before recycling
Which bin does it go in?
Recycling bin once empty and rinsed; contents back to a pharmacy
Background: Plastic numbers 1–7 explained.
Also searched as: pill bottles, calpol bottles, medicine tubs.
✓ Checked against current UK guidance: 14 Jul 2026. Spot an error or an out-of-date rule?