Pharmaceutical Society practice and policy manager Chris Jay said more research was needed before a nationwide message was given to pharmacy patients that plastic dispensing bottles could be reused. He said cardboard boxes could easily be recycled by a patient once all of their details had been removed from the packaging but recycled plastic containers could have implications for medication. Otago University associate professor and medicinal waste researcher Rhiannon Braund said the society was right to be cautious about sterilisation but patients refilling bottles was a "great idea", noting it had become efficient to simply throw them away. "There is an opportunity to be a little smarter and I'm sure an opportunity to resuse them [dispensing bottles]." General manager of specialist waste disposal company Interwaste, Derek Richardson, said because disposed pharmaceutical packaging often had medication in them, they couldn't be recycled, but said there was a growing interest in correct disposal. About 60 tonnes of waste is collected annually from pharmacies and chemists through district health board programmes. Once they are collected they are heat treated to remove toxic qualities. Liu said while there was "a lot of interest" from the pharmacy's customers, there was little action. "We believe health professionals can work together to improve environmental sustainability in the health sector and our community. We want to get the word out there."