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Original poster

Has anyone used the Boots recycling scheme?

162 replies

Muchtoomuchtodo · 28/01/2026 11:23

If so can I recycle tablet packets? The white plastic ones with foil on the back that the tablet is pushed through?

I can’t find them on the list but am sure they were on the poster that I saw in store.

I don’t visit a branch often so don’t want to start collecting them if they’re not part of the scheme.

OP posts:
AnyOldNonsense · 27/02/2026 16:32

BakeOffRewatch · 27/02/2026 16:18

I’ve not done the blister packs before. So the maximum you can receive each month is

  • 8 lots of 500 points for beauty recycling. So £40 worth for 40 beauty items. Includes nappy packets, wipe packets, nappy sack packets, toothbrush heads. Redeem when spending £10
  • 4 lots of 100 points for blister pack recycling. So £4 worth each month for 20 blister packs. Redeem when spending £5.

So can you receive 600 points on a £10 transaction if you do both vouchers at same time?

If I keep saving nappy packs and so on I could easily do 40 items a month and buy things we need. Is the purchase of any products excluded like do they restrict voucher use in formula, medicine etc?

I think it has to be separate transactions of £5 for blisters and £10 for beauty. We don't get many beauty/health items, mainly only the odd make-up container or toothpaste/cleanser tube so don't do that one very often, but do get through quite a lot of blister packs.

NorthFaceofthelaundrypile · 27/02/2026 16:32

I now see every bit of recycling as £1 back in my pocket.

Cyclingmummy1 · 27/02/2026 17:05

ProfessorBinturong · 27/02/2026 16:28

So can you receive 600 points on a £10 transaction if you do both vouchers at same time?

Plus the normal points for that purchase.

There wouldn't be any extra points on a £10 spend. There used to be but I've not had them for ages. If you spent £11 you'd get the 3 points for the £1 over.

Cyclingmummy1 · 27/02/2026 17:06

AnyOldNonsense · 27/02/2026 16:32

I think it has to be separate transactions of £5 for blisters and £10 for beauty. We don't get many beauty/health items, mainly only the odd make-up container or toothpaste/cleanser tube so don't do that one very often, but do get through quite a lot of blister packs.

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I got them both on the same transaction last week. The cost before savings was over £15 but with discounts I only paid £10.06.

AnyOldNonsense · 27/02/2026 17:11

Cyclingmummy1 · 27/02/2026 17:06

I got them both on the same transaction last week. The cost before savings was over £15 but with discounts I only paid £10.06.

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That's worth knowing. I've got caught with discounts taking me back below the £5 or £10 before now and had to grab a chocolate bar to get it to work (I get a discount for the contact lens scheme but it doesn't show till you press pay). You do have to be careful not to overpay for things you can get much cheaper in somewhere like Savers though.

BoxingHare · 27/02/2026 17:39

ProfessorBinturong · 27/02/2026 16:27

But you have to pay for that. The Boots scheme pays you.

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But if you don't have a Boots, or have trouble with the app, or some other issue, then there's an alternative. 🙂

I'm not bothered about not being paid to recycle something that would otherwise go to landfill.

StripedPillowcase · 27/02/2026 19:55

I put HRT gel pump tubes in the beauty recycling - select 'feminine gel', and they've always been accepted

ProfessorBinturong · 27/02/2026 19:59

AnyOldNonsense · 27/02/2026 16:32

I think it has to be separate transactions of £5 for blisters and £10 for beauty. We don't get many beauty/health items, mainly only the odd make-up container or toothpaste/cleanser tube so don't do that one very often, but do get through quite a lot of blister packs.

Show quote history

Just checked the FAQ, and it seems to have changed again since I last looked.

So currently it is indeed one voucher per transaction. And you don't get the normal points on the first £5/£10 but do for every £1 above the threshold spend.

Can't be used for mobile phone top-ups, infant milks, prescription items, postage stamps, gift cards, the plastic bag levy, or kitchen appliances.

Can be used with additional Advantage card and other vouchers and discounts, just not 2 Recycling vouchers together.

But that's this week. They've been through 75 versions of the terms and conditions so far, so who knows what the rules will be next week.

Cyclingmummy1 · 27/02/2026 20:28

ProfessorBinturong · 27/02/2026 19:59

Just checked the FAQ, and it seems to have changed again since I last looked.

So currently it is indeed one voucher per transaction. And you don't get the normal points on the first £5/£10 but do for every £1 above the threshold spend.

Can't be used for mobile phone top-ups, infant milks, prescription items, postage stamps, gift cards, the plastic bag levy, or kitchen appliances.

Can be used with additional Advantage card and other vouchers and discounts, just not 2 Recycling vouchers together.

But that's this week. They've been through 75 versions of the terms and conditions so far, so who knows what the rules will be next week.

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It's changed since I used 2 vouchers last Sunday 😆

PinkArt · 27/02/2026 22:55

Cyclingmummy1 · 27/02/2026 20:28

It's changed since I used 2 vouchers last Sunday 😆

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It's never let me use two at once so I wonder if there was a weird, but good, glitch for some people that they've now spotted.

ProfessorBinturong · 27/02/2026 23:35

PinkArt · 27/02/2026 22:55

It's never let me use two at once so I wonder if there was a weird, but good, glitch for some people that they've now spotted.

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At least one of the former versions of the T&Cs does explicitly say that 2 can be used together. So it has been on purpose sometimes.

Cyclingmummy1 · 28/02/2026 08:36

PinkArt · 27/02/2026 22:55

It's never let me use two at once so I wonder if there was a weird, but good, glitch for some people that they've now spotted.

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I was surprised. It was a self serve till.

I wasn't bothered if it didn't work, between HRT, allergies and contact lenses, I've accrued a carrier bag full of blister packs so could afford to 'lose' 5. But to get 600 points on a £10 spend was a result!

bugalugs45 · 28/02/2026 13:01

I have used both vouchers together at a manned checkout for months , and never been questioned or refused .
you can only do 4 blister pack transactions per month though as opposed to 8 beauty ones .
Its my personal mission to get as close to £10 as possible 😂

NorthFaceofthelaundrypile · 28/02/2026 18:30

StripedPillowcase · 27/02/2026 19:55

I put HRT gel pump tubes in the beauty recycling - select 'feminine gel', and they've always been accepted

I think I need to get out more because this has made my day! 😂

janj52301 · 03/03/2026 12:23

I just stick mine in the box at Boots, too much of a faff for a few advantage points. I also recycle used toothpaste tubes at Boots in a different box

bugalugs45 · 03/03/2026 16:42

janj52301 · 03/03/2026 12:23

I just stick mine in the box at Boots, too much of a faff for a few advantage points. I also recycle used toothpaste tubes at Boots in a different box

I don’t think £5/ £6 worth of points on a £10 spend is a few but each to their own !

Cyclingmummy1 · 03/03/2026 18:12

bugalugs45 · 03/03/2026 16:42

I don’t think £5/ £6 worth of points on a £10 spend is a few but each to their own !

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Agree! DH needed a new electric toothbrush and it was free with points.

Engineeredit · 03/03/2026 18:16

StripedPillowcase · 28/01/2026 12:15

Yes, with caveats.

The scheme for getting extra Advantage points for recycling is over-complicated and not really worth it, in my opinion. If you buy a lot in Boots and can break it down into small, regular purchases, it may well be worthwhile.

You have to download the app, and then photograph your blister pack or beauty product, toothpaste tube etc and they get accepted or rejected.

Then you have to find a Boots branch that accepts the recycled items. Some accept both blister packs and beauty items, some accept one or the other, more than 50% accept neither. You have to look on the app (under Account>Help) to find which branches accept what.

Then you haul your bag of recycling to the branch and hunt round and round (and round and round) the store to try to find the deposit bin. You ask staff, they look at you blankly and say they've never heard of it. Or you do find the bin, and especially in the case of blister packs, it's full and overflowing onto the floor.

You deposit your items, in groups of 5 or 10 (check the app), and claim your extra points voucher, which you can only use for 30 seconds between 4.57pm and 5.00pm on a Thursday if there's an R in the month. And only in certain stores, on certain products.

If I happen to be going to a store than accepts the recycling, I tend to dump it all in and not bother with the points. I suspect it all goes in the general rubbish anyway #cynical.

This was my experience when I tried to use it for the first time. You have to spend ten pounds to get a voucher for £5 and you have to spend it that day. None of the staff knew how it worked either. Absolutely ridiculous.

Cyclingmummy1 · 03/03/2026 19:32

Engineeredit · 03/03/2026 18:16

This was my experience when I tried to use it for the first time. You have to spend ten pounds to get a voucher for £5 and you have to spend it that day. None of the staff knew how it worked either. Absolutely ridiculous.

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You can spend the points whenever you like.

Engineeredit · 03/03/2026 20:04

Cyclingmummy1 · 03/03/2026 19:32

You can spend the points whenever you like.

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No you can’t a member of staff said you have to spend it on the same day.

MrsFionaCharming · 03/03/2026 20:05

That staff member had it wrong. You have to spend the £10 on the same day, but the points just get added to your card for the future. I’m saving mine up for a frivolous purchase.

Engineeredit · 03/03/2026 20:06

MrsFionaCharming · 03/03/2026 20:05

That staff member had it wrong. You have to spend the £10 on the same day, but the points just get added to your card for the future. I’m saving mine up for a frivolous purchase.

I’m confused. If you have to spend the £10 you have to use the voucher on the same day though?

MrsFionaCharming · 03/03/2026 20:07

You deposit your items which generates a voucher. You then spend £10 and scan the voucher, which adds £5 of points to your card to use in the future.

Engineeredit · 03/03/2026 21:10

MrsFionaCharming · 03/03/2026 20:07

You deposit your items which generates a voucher. You then spend £10 and scan the voucher, which adds £5 of points to your card to use in the future.

Oh I see

Cyclingmummy1 · 03/03/2026 21:16

Engineeredit · 03/03/2026 20:04

No you can’t a member of staff said you have to spend it on the same day.

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That's incorrect. You have to activate the voucher to get your points on the same day. You can then spend them whenever you like.

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