Antibiotic Amnesty

Help Keep Antibiotics Working!

Leftover antibiotics can be harmful if they are kept for use another time, shared with others or disposed of unsafely – all of these actions can increase the risk of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Unsafe disposal can contaminate the environment and increase the spread of resistance genes among bacteria, putting human and animal health at risk, but public awareness of this is low.

Raising awareness of these risks in patients and animal owners is vital, and an Antibiotic Amnesty is a way to do this, while providing people with a simple positive action they can take to protect our One Health. 

Community pharmacies and veterinary practices can provide safe disposal routes for leftover antibiotics from convenient locations.

You can help!

Everyone needs to do their bit in fighting antimicrobial resistance. To encourage safe disposal of antibiotics, we want to see unused medicines returned to local pharmacies.

Our push for an Antibiotic Amnesty is raising awareness of antibiotic resistance, as well as the damage antibiotics can do to the environment, too.

We want to teach people how to only use antibiotics they need, and properly dispose of those they don't.

Speak to your:

  • Local Pharmaceutical Committees (LPCs)
  • NHS England Pharmacy Advisors
  • Local NHS organisation - CCGs (England), Health Board (Scotland), or local Health Boards (Wales)
  • Healthcare services
  • Universities 
about how they can join in the amnesty.