Ask Your GP (or pharmacist) for a Medication Review

And always recycle unused medicines at the pharmacy, never throw them out or flush them down the loo.

Unlike Scotland (where prescriptions are free), in England you usually have to pay for them unless eligible for free prescriptions (this should also entitle you to free dental care, eye care and wigs (for cancer treatment or alopecia).

It’s estimated that around 8.4 million people in England are prescribed 5 or more medicines (and a fifth of hospital admissions for older people are due to adverse effects).

Safely removing people off unnecessary medicines could make people safer, reduce waste (and animal testing – all medicines are tested by law) and save an estimated £300 million that could be put to better use.

Once registered with a GP, ask for a medical review, as millions of pounds are wasted on people storing up medications they never use.

A good GP should offer a yearly review (if not, ask for one). This way you can safely adjust or remove or improve medications, to avoid NHS waste. Take unused medicines to your local pharmacy for recycling (never flush them down the loo).

You can download the free NHS app to order repeat prescriptions from a nominated pharmacy, book appointments, view your GP health record, register organ donation decisions, view your NHS number and use NHS 111 online to answer questions and get instant advice or medical help near you.

Millions of pounds is wasted yearly on the NHS, from ordering unused medicines. Ask your GP each year for a medication review, to ensure ‘dinosaur doctors’ are not just doling out unnecessary medicines.

Good Tuesday Eco Medication Tracker

This medication tracker is ideal for anyone who takes regular medication or supplements, giving a clear overview of what to take and when, plus you can tick off what you’ve already taken that day.

Always get a medication review yearly with your GP or pharmacist. And take unused medicine (and supplements) to the pharmacist for recycling, never flush them down the loo.

This was inspired when the founder’s birth of a baby didn’t go to plan. Bedridden for weeks, she had to draw out a plan, being confused by all the medications and injections. She thinks this also is ideal for carers who are looking after people with serious illness like cancer or dementia.

The tracker has 52 tearaway pages, and made with mostly clean energy, and without optical brightening agents.

Everything at Good Tuesday is printed on recycled paper, sent in plastic-free packaging, made in the UK and beautifully designed.

Choosing recycled paper is better than FSC-certified paper, as that still requires fast-growing trees with pesticides (instead these products ‘close the loop’ and use up unwanted waste that would otherwise end up at landfill, emitting methane gas).