Almaty has summed up the results of the environmental project 'Safe Disposal of Medicines'. Over the year, residents of the metropolis handed over more than one ton of unused medications through special eco-boxes in clinics. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.

The project started in June 2025 and was aimed at the safe collection of expired and unused medicines from Almaty residents. The main goal set by the project organizers is to prevent medications from entering household waste, soil, and water bodies, where they can harm the environment.

'Today, special collection boxes for medicines are installed in 38 clinics in Almaty. During the first year of the project, more than one ton of expired medications was collected,' the statement said.

According to Natalya Garipova, General Director of STADA Kazakhstan, a year ago the organizers were not sure whether this initiative would be in demand among citizens.

'Today we can say that residents actively supported the project. (...) This is an important step in matters of environmental safety and preserving people's health. Our goal is to make the disposal of medicines safe for the environment,' she emphasized.

In turn, the City Public Health Department called the project a big breakthrough.

The department reported that all collected medicines undergo special disposal. In particular, medications are destroyed by thermal treatment in special incinerators at temperatures up to 1,200 degrees. After processing, a safe residue remains, which is sent to specialized landfills.

Representatives of clinics also said that residents are increasingly using the opportunity to safely hand over medications. For example, through clinic No. 4 alone, about 70 kg of expired medicines were collected during the project. According to doctors, many patients previously simply did not know where to hand over unnecessary drugs.

Recall that medicines are classified as hazardous waste. They cannot be thrown away with household waste or flushed down the drain. For safe collection, special eco-boxes installed in city clinics continue to operate in Almaty.

Earlier, Kursiv wrote that pharmacies in Kazakhstan are being massively fined for selling free medicines.