Earth911 Podcast: Desert Harvest Debuts Smart, Refillable Medicine Packaging

Heather Florio, CEO of Desert Harvest, a maker of aloe vera-based nutritional supplements, will introduce a refillable smart bottle this summer. Heather explains how the company’s refined aloe products relieve the symptoms of interstitial cystitis, a debilitating disease that primarily affects women. Desert Harvest is moving away from single-use plastic pill packaging in favor of compostable plant-based refill bags as well as smart bottles that feature Bluetooth connectivity and an app that helps customers manage refills and keep the packaging out of landfills. The container will be available for use with other medications and can help caregivers track whether elderly patients have taken their daily doses on time. She discusses packaging improvements needed for hair and skin care products.

One of the questions Earth911 gets most often is how to recycle or donate prescription medicine bottles made from a type of #5 plastic that is seldom recycled. In 2022, Americans are expected to fill almost 4.8 billion prescriptions and purchase another $42 billion worth of dietary supplements using packaging that goes mostly unrecycled. The Desert Harvest refill program, which includes a refill package that is home-compostable, is a unique solution; and the company will accept end-of-life bottles for recycling through a mail-in program. You can learn more about Desert Harvest at desertharvest.com.