October 30, 2017
The Search To Find Australia’s Oldest Medicine
Return Unwanted Medicines (RUM) collaborated with Mum Central in search of Australia’s oldest medicine earlier this year and saw 990 people enter from all over Australia go in the draw for their chance to win a share of $1500.
The competition aimed to raise awareness about the importance of cleaning out your medicine cabinet, especially to keep unwanted medicines away from children. Participants were encouraged to take a photo of their expired or unwanted medicines for an entry into the competition.
The campaign was shared extensively on social media and had a total of 695 shares and 422 comments, sparking conversations about unwanted medicines sitting in homes across Australia!
Winners of the search for Australia’s oldest medicine competition:
With 12 winners altogether, all brought in multiple medicines that had been sitting in their home for years. The medicines received could be dated back to an expiry date as far back as 2011- that’s over half a decade old!
It is estimated that there are millions of medicines sitting in Australian homes – with most of these medicines no longer being taken or have expired. A recent study conducted by Griffith University also revealed that more than 80% of people do not know how to dispose of unwanted medicines safely and appropriately.
As part of the competition, winners were required to bring their old and expired medicines to the pharmacy to collect their prize, hopefully encouraging more people to be mindful of cleaning their medicine cabinet more regularly and take them into their pharmacist, where they will be disposed of safely and sustainably.
Congratulations to all our competition winners and well done for disposing of your medicine correctly! Do you think you have Australia’s oldest medicine sitting at home? Don’t leave it sitting in the cupboard, and take it to your local pharmacist today!
To learn more about how you can return your expired and unwanted medicines, click here.
The Return of Unwanted Medicines Project is a free service that offers a way to dispose of unwanted or expired medicines safely and conveniently at your local community pharmacy. Find out more about the service here.