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What about the environmental impact of the PillPack packaging strategy? http://assets.coolhunting.com/coolhunting/mt_asset_cache/2014/02/pillpack-1-thumb-620x5

What about the environmental impact of the PillPack packaging strategy? http://assets.coolhunting.com/coolhunting/mt_asset_cache/2014/02/pillpack-1-thumb-620x508-75620.jpg http://assets.coolhunting.com/coolhunting/mt_asset_cache/201... (note: above image is of an already mostly empty PP box, they often come stuffed completely full) https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Jz4Xw7Xs-Fxnige1c2qnDlez-c0=/0x18:1100x751/1200x800/filters:focal(0x18:1100x751)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/assets/3968063/PillPack_Shipment.png https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Jz4Xw7Xs-Fxnige1c2qnDlez-c0=... I used PillPack a few years ago, and appreciated the reliable auto-refill (in fact their behavior was borderline insanely aggressive, which was fine by me). However, the volume of single-use plastic trash created by the way PillPack does packaging was downright excessive, and I felt so guilty about it I deactivated my account. It is less convenient now, but after going back to using typical mail-order and local B&M pharmacies in town the process results in approximately 10-20% of the amount of trash. See the images linked above as examples of what comes with each shipment - it's a plastic case full of little plastic pouches. There is 1 plastic pouch per dose of medication, and the plastic pouches are wound tightly inside. The volume of single-use plastic adds up rather quickly with PillPack. EDIT: Why all the downvotes? "Internet points" are unimportant, but it is curious and unsettling to see information about wasteful high-pollution corporate practices deep-sixed.

rrcaptain 8y ago
How many pills were you taking daily? The plastic waste of 4-5 pill bottles a month is quite large. But yes it is wasteful, just like the rest of for-profit healthcare.
- gehwartzen 8y ago
  I agree; The film pouches used by PillPack look to use significantly less plastic than those orange bottles.
petra 8y ago
There are probably ways to create a cleaner packaging system. But I'm not sure if the plastic problem (a huge one, and I really love nature) will be solved by individual action. In practice it would require laws, like the anti plastic bag law reduced demand by 70% in the Netherlands. Or technology, like a better bio-degradable plastic alternative.

rrcaptain 8y ago

How many pills were you taking daily? The plastic waste of 4-5 pill bottles a month is quite large. But yes it is wasteful, just like the rest of for-profit healthcare.

gehwartzen 8y ago
I agree; The film pouches used by PillPack look to use significantly less plastic than those orange bottles.

petra 8y ago

There are probably ways to create a cleaner packaging system. But I'm not sure if the plastic problem (a huge one, and I really love nature) will be solved by individual action. In practice it would require laws, like the anti plastic bag law reduced demand by 70% in the Netherlands. Or technology, like a better bio-degradable plastic alternative.