Design as an instrument to support public policies that guide the correct disposal of Expired or Disused Home Use Medicines

Abstract

The current context, linked to environmental pollution problems, presents several demands related to communication aimed at organizations and citizens to achieve better levels of environmental sustainability. Medicines for home use are products that require specific guidelines for consumption and disposal and have specific legislation that guides the disposal of their leftovers or those that are expired, due to their potential and pollution of the environment. In this sense, this study intends to demonstrate how Design plays an important role, guiding individuals to proceed with the correct disposal and mitigating the impact of pollution of the environment by drugs. As for the methods, it presents part of the results of a master's research characterized as qualitative, which made use of documentary and field research to obtain its data. The results demonstrate how communication is an important sector to be considered within a circular network for the effectiveness of Public Policies aimed at Solid Waste Management, especially with regard to the Disposal of Expired or Disused Medicines for Home Use. In this sense, there is Design, as a tool to help consumers exercise their civic duty in the part that fits them in the shared responsibility for the life cycle of products provided for in the National Policy on Solid Waste.