According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 18.7 million people, including approximately 7 million children, have asthma, making it one of the country’s most common diseases. Respiratory inhalers are one of the most common devices used in the treatment of asthmas as well as other respiratory conditions including COPD, flu and allergies. However, inhalers are not recycled by standard community recycling programs. Forty-eight greater Philadelphia GIANT Food Stores are participating in an innovative recycling program from GlaxoSmithKline known as Complete the Cycle™Recycle Program for GSK Respiratory Inhalers to reduce the amount of inhalers that end up in landfills.

GIANT pharmacy customers who receive a prescription for a GlaxoSmithKline respiratory inhaler will now notice a sticker placed on their inhaler box stating that the inhaler can be returned to the pharmacy for recycling. Customers can place their empty inhalers in the specially designed box available in the pharmacy department.

“This recycling program is an opportunity for our customers to safely dispose of their inhalers at our friendly pharmacies,” said Leigh Shirley, director of pharmacy operations.  “As a company GIANT is always looking for ways to minimize our impact on the environment whether it be in our stores, on the roads or in our distribution centers.”

GlaxoSmithKline works with a specialized recycler to process this recycling so that almost all parts of the inhaler can be reused. Plastic components are used to make new household items, such as hangers and flower pots. The remaining gas is recovered and reused and the metal from the canisters is recycled. The inhalers are not recycled to produce new inhalers. A list of participating GIANT locations is below or visit www.GSKCompleteTheCycle.com for more details.

The forty-eight participating GIANT Food Stores include:

• 539 North Oak Avenue, Aldan
• 3015 West Emmaus Avenue, Allentown
• 3100 Tilghman Street, Allentown
• 3400 Concord Road, Aston
• 2721 Street Road, Bensalem
• 2918 Easton Avenue, Bethlehem
• 2174 West Union Boulevard, Bethlehem
• 3926 Linden Street, Bethlehem
• 1760 Dekalb Pike, Blue Bell
• 2910 Springfield Road, Broomall
• 10 Ridge Pike, Conshohocken
• 216 East Fairmont St. Route 309, Coopersburg
• 202 Chestnut Street, Coplay
• 301 Town Center Boulevard, Easton
• 801 South 25^th Street, Eason
• 153 East Swedesford Road, Exton
• 471 South Oxford Valley Road, Fairless Hills
• 173 Holly Road, Gilbertsville
• 1540 Cowpath Road, Hatfield
• 1880 Leithsville Road, Hellertown
• 350 Scarlet Road, Kennett Square
• 300 East Baltimore Avenue, Lansdowne
• 4001 New Falls Road, Levittown
• 859 Nazareth Pike, Nazareth
• 6542 East Logan Square, New Hope
• 2670 Egypt Road, Norristown
• 1201 Knapp Drive, North Wales
• 1153 North Fifth Street, Perkasie
• 700 Nutt Road, Phoenixville
• 2450 Chemical Road, Plymouth Meeting
• 86 Glocker Way, Pottstown
• 901 Southeast End Boulevard, Quakertown
• 3935 Perkiomen Avenue, Reading
• 2641 Shillington Road, Reading
• 967 South Township Line Road, Royersford
• 1824 Ridge Pike, Royersford
• 600 East Lancaster Avenue, Shillington
• 760 Route 113, Souderton
• 721 West Sproul Road, Springfield
• 180 Upland Square Drive, Stowe
• 4320 North Fifth Street Highway, Temple
• 3477 Lincoln Highway, Thorndale
• 7150 Hamilton Boulevard, Trexlertown
• 698 Downingtown Pike, West Chester
• 849 West Baltimore Pike, West Grove
• 2104 Van Reed Road, West Lawn
• 2641 Macarthur Road, Whitehall
• 315 York Road, Willow Grove