Return Unwanted Medicines
Return Unwanted Medicines (The RUM Project) is an Australian not-for-profit, established 1998 and funded by the Commonwealth Government, that provides a free nationwide service for households to dispose of unwanted and expired medicines via secure bins in ~6,000 community pharmacies.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1998
- HeadquartersMelbourne, VIC, Australia
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Return Unwanted Medicines does
Return Unwanted Medicines Limited (trading as The RUM Project) is a national Australian not-for-profit established in 1998 under the Commonwealth Government's Department of Health, Disability and Ageing to operationalise the Quality Use of Medicines policy. The organisation runs a free, nationwide take-back service for unwanted and expired household medicines, including prescription drugs, over-the-counter products, herbal supplements, gels, liquids, topical creams, and veterinary medicines. Consumers deposit medicines into secure RUM bins located in nearly all PBS-approved community pharmacies across Australia (~6,000 sites), regardless of where the medicines were originally purchased.
The core technology is operational rather than digital: a standardised, one-way-entry RUM bin deployed in pharmacies, with downstream contracted transport and EPA-accredited high-temperature incineration that ensures complete destruction with no environmental residue. Supporting digital infrastructure is minimal — a WordPress-based public website, a Pharmacy Locator tool with a pharmacy-consent workflow, downloadable partner marketing assets, and basic social media presence (Facebook, LinkedIn). Complementary products include the Pharmacycle blister-pack recycling programme and the Brown Bag Medicine community-engagement initiative.
The business model is a managed-services arrangement: the Commonwealth Government funds bin manufacture, transport, storage, and incineration, while the organisation coordinates the network, protocol compliance, public education, and pharmacy relationships with 1-10 employees. The service is free to consumers and pharmacies. Partnerships with Sanofi Australia (Jul 2022 awareness campaign), Animal Medicines Australia (Vet-Med Disposal Campaign, Jul 2022), Pharmacycle, Chemists' Own, TerraCycle, and Agsafe extend reach into veterinary and packaging-waste streams without altering the underlying single-payer funding structure.
Return Unwanted Medicines firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Return Unwanted Medicines
- Legal name
- The National Return & Disposal of Unwanted Medicines Limited
- Website
- https://returnmed.com.au
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1998
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Return Unwanted Medicines (The RUM Project) is an Australian not-for-profit, established 1998 and funded by the Commonwealth Government, that provides a free nationwide service for households to dispose of unwanted and expired medicines via secure bins in ~6,000 community pharmacies.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Return Unwanted Medicines industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Pharmaceutical Waste Disposal Services
- NAICS
- Hazardous Waste Treatment and Disposal (562211), Hazardous Waste Collection (562112), Waste Treatment and Disposal (5622)
- SIC
- Hazardous Waste Management (4955)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Medical / Infectious Waste Treatment & Disposal (Autoclave + Incineration + Final Disposal) (EUAIACAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Medication Disposal, Returns & Safety (Sharps/Take-Back) (HSABALAN)
Keywords
Where Return Unwanted Medicines is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Melbourne, VIC
- HQ country
- Australia
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices1 record
Markets served
Return Unwanted Medicines business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Government Funding: The RUM Project is a national not-for-profit funded by the Commonwealth Government through the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. The Commonwealth funds the cost of RUM bins manufacture, transport costs, storage of full bins prior to incineration, actual incineration costs, and management of these arrangements.
- Free Consumer Service: Community pharmacies collect medicines at no cost to consumers or pharmacies. The service is entirely free for Australians to use, with all disposal costs covered by government funding.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Free service for all Australians |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels7 records
Return Unwanted Medicines product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Return Unwanted Medicines (The RUM Project) operates a nationwide Australian service that enables households to return unwanted or expired medicines to secure bins located in community pharmacies. Collected medicines are transported to EPA-accredited facilities for high-temperature incineration. The service is provided free of charge to consumers and is funded entirely by the Commonwealth Government through the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing.
Product overview
The RUM Project (Return Unwanted Medicines) is a single unified national service rather than a multi-module platform. The core offering consists of secure RUM bins placed in PBS-approved community pharmacies across Australia, which collect unwanted and expired medicines for high-temperature incineration. Supporting products include the Pharmacy Locator Tool (an online search function to find participating pharmacies), the Pharmacycle Blister Pack Recycling Program (a complementary recycling option for blister packs), and the Brown Bag Medicine Program (an awareness initiative using branded bags). The service is free for consumers and funded by the Commonwealth Government through the Department of Health.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- The RUM Project (Return Unwanted Medicines Service) A nationwide initiative providing Australians with a free, safe, and convenient method to dispose of unwanted or expired medicines through a network of secure bins at participating community pharmacies across Australia. Targeted at individual Australian households.
- RUM Bin (Secure Collection Bin) A secure, specially designed bin with one-way entry located in PBS-approved community pharmacies for the collection and safe transport of unwanted medicines to EPA-approved incineration facilities.
- Pharmacy Locator Tool An online search tool enabling consumers to find participating community pharmacies that host RUM bins for medicine disposal.
- Brown Bag Medicine Program An awareness and collection program using branded brown paper bags to encourage customers to return expired or unwanted medicines to pharmacies, which resulted in a 20% increase in collections at participating pharmacies.
Quantifiable outcome
- 13,069,333 kg of unwanted medicines collected since 2001
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Return Unwanted Medicines
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Return Unwanted Medicines technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Return Unwanted Medicines partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Sanofi AustraliacoreRUM partnered with Sanofi Australia in an Australia-wide campaign to raise awareness and educate Australians about the environmental impact of incorrect disposal of unused and expired medicines. The partnership aims to encourage all Australians to safely dispose of unwanted medicines via their local pharmacy using the RUM bin network.
- Animal Medicine AustraliacoreAnimal Medicine Australia launched the Vet-Med Disposal Campaign in partnership with RUM to help veterinarians, farmers and pet owners dispose of veterinary medicines safely. RUM provides an easy, free avenue to clean out unwanted vet meds through participating pharmacies.
- PharmacycleminorPharmacycle is a complementary blister pack recycling program that works alongside RUM. Over 200 pharmacies have joined the Pharmacycle program which collects and recycles medicine blister packs. When customers return unwanted medications to RUM bins, pharmacists inform them they can also bring blister packs for recycling into Pharmacycle bins.
- Terry White Chemist CheltenhamminorTerry White Chemist in Cheltenham is a pilot pharmacy participating in the Pharmacycle blister pack recycling program. The pharmacy actively promotes both RUM disposal services and blister pack recycling to customers.
- TerraCycleminorTerraCycle partnered with Chemists' Own to launch Australia's first free recycling program for household blister pack waste. TerraCycle provides the recycling infrastructure while participating pharmacies serve as drop-off points.
- Chemists' OwnminorChemists' Own launched Australia's first-ever free recycling program for household blister pack waste in partnership with TerraCycle, with 49 participating Alliance Pharmacy stores across NSW, Victoria and Queensland.
- Agsafe ClemClear ProgramminorFor farmers with larger quantities of vet meds (containers over 1 litre), the Agsafe ClemClear program provides disposal options for products carrying the drumMUSTER logo, working alongside RUM for smaller quantities.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Return Unwanted Medicines competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- TerraCycle: Global recycling specialist operating free consumer drop-off programmes, including the Chemists' Own blister-pack recycling partnership in Australia. Comparable as an emerging player whose drop-off-at-pharmacy model overlaps with RUM's community collection architecture.
Broad incumbents
- Veolia Australia & New Zealand: Global environmental services group operating hazardous waste treatment and disposal facilities in Australia. Comparable as a broad incumbent with the incineration and treatment assets that public-scheme operators like RUM contract with.
- Stericycle: US-headquartered regulated waste management giant offering medical and pharmaceutical waste disposal services globally. Comparable as a broad incumbent providing the regulated waste infrastructure that programmes like RUM ultimately rely on.
- Clean Harbors: North America's largest provider of environmental, energy, and industrial services including hazardous and pharmaceutical waste treatment and disposal. Comparable as a broad incumbent executing the regulated incineration step on RUM's behalf.
Regional players
- Return Unwanted Medicines (Canada) / Health Products Stewardship Association: Canadian industry-funded medicines return programme operating a national pharmacy-based collection network analogous to RUM. Comparable as a regional peer running the same community-pharmacy medication take-back model in a different geography.
- Cleanaway Waste Management: Australia's largest total waste management company providing hazardous, industrial, and healthcare waste services domestically. Comparable as a regional incumbent with overlapping regulated waste capabilities and relationships with Australian pharmacies and hospitals.
Direct peers
- Daniels Health: Medical waste management company with a strong presence in Australia (formerly Sharpsmart). Comparable as a direct peer offering pharmaceutical and clinical waste collection, treatment, and disposal services to healthcare facilities in the same Australian market.
- Sharps Compliance: US-listed provider of medical waste and unused medication take-back solutions, including the TakeAway Environmental Return System serving retail pharmacies. Comparable as a direct peer operating a community-pharmacy medication take-back network under a regulated model.
- Pharmacycle: Australian blister-pack recycling program operating through the same community pharmacy network as RUM with 200+ participating stores. Comparable as a direct channel-adjacent peer leveraging the same pharmacy footprint for complementary pharmaceutical packaging recovery.
- Agsafe (ClemClear / drumMUSTER): Australian industry-funded program for safe collection and disposal of unwanted agricultural and veterinary chemicals, explicitly linked to RUM for smaller-quantity vet meds. Comparable as a direct sector peer running a manufacturer-funded national take-back scheme under stewardship regulation.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Return Unwanted Medicines social profiles
Digital presenceReturn Unwanted Medicines financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Return Unwanted Medicines leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Return Unwanted Medicines funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Return Unwanted Medicines M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Return Unwanted Medicines
What does Return Unwanted Medicines do?
Return Unwanted Medicines (The RUM Project) operates a nationwide Australian service that enables households to return unwanted or expired medicines to secure bins located in community pharmacies. Collected medicines are transported to EPA-accredited facilities for high-temperature incineration. The service is provided free of charge to consumers and is funded entirely by the Commonwealth Government through the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing.
Is Return Unwanted Medicines a public or private company?
Return Unwanted Medicines is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Return Unwanted Medicines founded?
Return Unwanted Medicines was founded in 1998. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Return Unwanted Medicines based?
Return Unwanted Medicines is headquartered in Melbourne, VIC, Australia, in the Oceania region.
How does Return Unwanted Medicines make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Government Funding is the primary driver. The others are free Consumer Service.
Who are Return Unwanted Medicines's main competitors?
TerraCycle is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Veolia Australia & New Zealand, Stericycle and Clean Harbors. Regional players are Return Unwanted Medicines (Canada) / Health Products Stewardship Association and Cleanaway Waste Management. Direct peers are Daniels Health, Sharps Compliance, Pharmacycle and Agsafe (ClemClear / drumMUSTER).
Does Return Unwanted Medicines have an API?
No public API is recorded for Return Unwanted Medicines.
What industry is Return Unwanted Medicines in?
Return Unwanted Medicines's product category is Pharmaceutical Waste Disposal Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUAIACAJ, Medical / Infectious Waste Treatment & Disposal (Autoclave + Incineration + Final Disposal), with a secondary code of HSABALAN, Medication Disposal, Returns & Safety (Sharps/Take-Back). Its NAICS code is 562211 and its SIC code is 4955.