We’re switching to recyclable and sustainable vials for EVERYONE universally at the Apothecary (instead of opt-in/buy-in).
These vials are made out of cardboard with a special protective lining, with minimal plastic for safety and product integrity.
While not 100% recyclable, it’s MUCH better than the cheap plastic Chinese vials that are filling our landfills.
In this article:
Being Sustainable
The recyclable, cardboard vials are the second major action we’ve taken to improve our environmental impact on the community and world.
The first was our medication takeback dropbox.
Anyone can walk in with any unused, unwanted, or expired medicine or supplement received from our pharmacy, any competitor, or even mail order and drop them directly in our takeback bin.
Those medicines are then incinerated instead of being introduced into the water supply.
We recover over 50 lbs of medications every month.
That’s significant, especially when you think of it on the molecular level like a pharmacy nerd like me. Each 1 gram (1000mg) of a medication is approximately 6 trillion-trillion molecules. Imagine 6 with 23 zeroes after it. Monthly, 50lbs is like 23,000 of those 6 trillion-trillion! That’s a lot of molecules.
Learn more: Apothecary+ Membership Includes Recyclable Vials
More Addition by Subtraction
In the week since we’ve implemented a “no-loss” policy here at the pharmacy, we’ve been met with nothing but understanding and full support.
It’s weird to have to have such a policy. It’s a weird business.
The good news is we can see that this is a solid move. It’s simplified life back here. It eased the pressure. The losses have been minimized substantially this week alone.
On the other side, we’ve saved people on their prescriptions with our Cost Plus pricing. If we do some back of the napkin math, we’ve saved about $1200 in out of pocket expenses for people’s medicines this week alone.
A couple big examples:
- Patient has estrogen that’s $240 through insurance, or $84 through our program
- Patient has a copay of $12 for 30 days, or $18 for 100 days through our program
- Patient has a non-covered drug that’s $684 at CVS or other chains, and $79 through our program.
Our program is simple:
Our true net cost for the medicine plus a flat fee for our service. I believe this should be the standard across the country.
Neal Smoller, PharmD
Neal is the founder and holistic pharmacist of Village Apothecary in Woodstock, NY. Established in 2010, the independent pharmacy offers a number of modern services like prescription syncing, vaccines, and home delivery, while maintaining an emphasis on natural products and wellness.
Faced with a deeply flawed supplement industry that puts company sales over customer safety and results, Neal established Woodstock Vitamins to meet his high standards for ingredient quality, dosage, ethical sourcing, and bioavailability.
