Engineers develop revolutionary replacement for ubiquitous pharmacy item — and it could hit shelves soon
Parcel Health, a pharmaceutical packaging company dedicated to protecting people and preserving the planet, has invented a paper-based prescription medication bottle.
According to Yanko Design, the new prescription bottles, called Tully Tubes, are made mostly of 100% sustainably sourced paper.
Each year, roughly 194 billion prescription bottles are used, according to Cabinet Health. Most are not recycled. Instead, they head to landfills, where they contribute to air, water, and soil pollution.
Parcel Health's new approach to prescription bottles uses a paper base made with certified, sustainably sourced paper and curbside recyclable materials. It's approved by the US Food and Drug Administration and is the first of its kind to be approved for use in the pharmaceutical industry.
Of course, a flimsy paper bottle isn't acceptable for important medications. That's why Tully Tubes are resistant to water, humidity, and heat. They use a three-layer construction to protect bottle contents from the elements, while a food-safe and compostable coating further safeguards pills from water.
The child-safe bottle caps are made of post-consumer recycled plastic. The bottle cap and seal can be easily disconnected from the paper base, making it easy to recycle the plastic parts and compost the paper.
These bottles are also more customizable for companies, as it's more affordable to add fun designs to paper than to plastic — making for a welcome change from the standard orange container.
Tully Tubes perform as well as plastic bottles but don't strain the environment as much. The use of recycled plastic gives this material a second life and keeps it out of landfills for longer. Meanwhile, replacing the plastic body with paper substantially cuts down on plastic waste — means less dirty fuel mining for plastic creation, a process that significantly contributes to air and water pollution.
All of these factors mean the pharmaceutical industry can keep serving consumers while reducing the opportunities for microplastics to enter our water, air, and soil — further helping to improve our health.
Eco-friendly initiatives like this from brands can dramatically reduce pollution, curbing the planet's overheating and reducing the presence of harmful contaminants.
When you think about a product's packaging, which of these factors is more important to you?
The way it looks
The information it provides
The waste it produces
I don't think about packaging at all
Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.
While Tully Tubes won't replace all those plastic bottles overnight, this invention is a wonderful step in the right direction.
Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
05-05-2025
- Fox News
Pharma's plastic prescription bottle problem gets a paper solution
Have you ever stopped to think about what happens to those little orange pill bottles after you finish your prescription? Every year, around 200 billion of these bottles are produced worldwide, and sadly most of them end up in landfills. In the U.S. alone, about 4 to 5 billion plastic pill bottles are thrown away each year. That's enough plastic to circle the Earth multiple times. While they might seem harmless, these bottles contribute significantly to the growing plastic pollution crisis because they're often not recycled properly. Join The FREE "CyberGuy Report": Get my expert tech tips, critical security alerts and exclusive deals, plus instant access to my free "Ultimate Scam Survival Guide" when you sign up. Plastic has become the go-to material for packaging, including in medicine, because it's cheap, durable and easy to produce. However, the environmental cost is huge, and the pharmaceutical industry has struggled to find a sustainable alternative. Enter the Tully Tube, a revolutionary new pill bottle made mostly from 100% sustainably sourced paper. Developed by Parcel Health, this isn't just any paper bottle. It's the first one to meet the strict U.S. FDA regulations for food-contact packaging, making it safe to use for prescription medications. What makes the Tully Tube really impressive is how it balances sustainability with practicality. The body of the bottle is made from recyclable and compostable paper, which means it can break down naturally instead of piling up in landfills. The cap, which needs to be child-resistant for safety, is still made from plastic but uses recycled materials to reduce its environmental impact. You might be wondering how a paper bottle can protect pills from moisture, heat or damage during shipping. The Tully Tube uses a clever three-layer construction. It's coated with a food-safe compostable layer that keeps water and humidity out, ensuring your medication stays fresh and effective. When it's time to toss the bottle, a patented pull tab makes it easy to separate the paper body from the plastic cap and neck. This means the paper part can be composted or recycled, while the plastic pieces can be recycled separately. It's a simple but smart way to make sure every part of the bottle is handled properly at the end of its life. One of the biggest hurdles for sustainable packaging is cost. Fortunately, the Tully Tube is priced competitively with traditional plastic bottles, so pharmacies don't have to pay more to go green. Plus, because the paper surface is easier and cheaper to print on, pharmacies and pharmaceutical companies can customize the bottles with logos, designs or even characters to make the packaging more engaging for customers. From an environmental perspective, the Tully Tube reduces carbon emissions by about 30% compared to plastic bottles. That's a significant cut in greenhouse gases, especially when you consider the billions of bottles used every year. UVA Health is already leading the way by rolling out Tully Tubes across its system. This move is expected to eliminate millions of plastic bottles from their waste stream, showcasing how sustainable packaging can work even in industries with strict safety and regulatory standards. Their example proves that eco-friendly alternatives aren't just theoretical, they're ready for real-world use today. The Tully Tube may seem like a small innovation, but it has the potential to make a huge environmental difference. It challenges the longstanding reliance on plastic in the pharmaceutical industry by offering a practical, safe and sustainable alternative. As more hospitals and pharmacies consider adopting this new packaging, the impact could be enormous. Would you be open to using a paper pill bottle instead of the traditional plastic one? Why or why not? Let us know by writing us at For more of my tech tips and security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Follow Kurt on his social channels: Answers to the most-asked CyberGuy questions: New from Kurt: Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Yahoo
Cabinet Health disrupts healthcare with ‘sustainable pharmacy'
(KTAL/KMSS) — With nearly 5 billion prescriptions filled annually in the U.S., most plastic pill bottles end up in landfills due to limited recyclability, contributing to microplastic pollution linked to a host of health issues, such as cognitive decline and inflammation. One company is advocating for sustainable alternatives to eliminate single-use plastics in the healthcare industry. Cabinet Health, which markets itself as a 'sustainable pharmacy' offering over-the-counter medications (excluding controlled substances) in reusable, stackable glass containers. How microplastics affect human health Co-founded by Chinese-American Russell Gong and Indian-American Achal Patel. Gong is a specialist in sustainable products and an active U.S. infantry soldier who worked on legislation regarding the first plastic bag taxes and on building the Cabinet. 'I think the first thing is ultimately this is about a health care issue, not just about a packaging issue, that the more that our health care products and the way that we treat patients, the more that it's better for the environment is inevitably better,' says Gong. Patel is a third-generational pharmaceutical entrepreneur whose grandfather built one of the first sets of medicine factories in India. Together, they combined their knowledge of medicine and sustainability to create Cabinet Health. Since co-founders Achal Patel and Gong's appearance on Shark Tank, their refillable system has been sold nationwide at Target and Amazon; however, Gong says, they are still working on closing the gap between healthcare and sustainability. 'It really makes it a health care issue, is that today there's so much plastic in our environment that we're starting to consume it. So, we consume upwards of a credit card's worth of microplastics every single week, which is crazy to me. And that plastic is showing up in our bloodstream and even our brains as more and more medical science shows that it's also creating a lot of health care issues,' says Cabinet Health Pharmacy co-founder Russell Gong. The company is a Certified B Corporation and has developed the first reusable packaging system for over-the-counter medicines. 'If there's one thing that I would tell a general audience about sustainable healthcare, it's just to start paying attention to what is sustainable healthcare, start being curious about what is going into our bodies, the healthcare that we're receiving, and wanting and demanding more,' said Gong. The Source: gifting sustainably, everything local As of February 2025, Cabinet Health no longer offers its subscription, focusing instead on more impactful ways to reduce plastic in the healthcare industry. He encourages individuals to pay attention to what they put into their bodies while demanding that healthcare leaders do the same. 'It's really incumbent upon us as health care leaders to help patients make that choice that doesn't have to make a compromise. And so, again, I think most of our focus and efforts should be about how we win the leadership battles that change the system so that patients, when they are taking care of their husbands and their children and their mothers, they don't have to choose,' says Gong. Gong says they are 'following the plastic' and launched Powered by Cabinet. This business program encourages healthcare companies to develop sustainable products and services by leveraging their years of research, insights, and tools. 'We don't believe that there should be a choice between a patient's personal health and the choice for their environment and their loved ones. And that's really what we're looking to encourage, is that the science exists. It's just a matter of 'Are we innovative and creative enough to apply it?'' says Gong, Where to dispose of prescription drugs locally? Did you know you can donate used prescription bottles? Matthew 25 Ministries is an international humanitarian and disaster relief organization that collects empty pill bottles to send to developing countries where medical supplies are in short supply. They accept empty, clean prescription and over-the-counter pill bottles of varying sizes. However, there is a downside to donating them because you need to ship the bottles to their drop-off location in Blue Ash, Ohio. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Yahoo
Allegheny Valley Hospital deploys sustainable packaging from local startup Parcel Health
Allegheny Valley Hospital is now deploying sustainable pill bottle packaging as part of a partnership with local startup Parcel Health. Parcel Health is a startup co-founded by Melinda Su-En Lee and Mallory Barrett with the goal of reducing the amount of plastic pill bottle waste. Following involvement in the AHN-backed AlphaLab accelerator, the company's paper-based pill bottles, the Tully Tube, are being rolled out to the health network's hospitals' pharmacies, starting with Allegheny Valley. 'AHN being such a well-known name in Pittsburgh and beyond with them growing as a health system, for them to sort of stand behind us, not only have they invested through AlphaLab, but also as our customer. It means a lot to us that they trust us and are willing to bring this product to market with us,' Lee said. Click here to read more from our partners at the Pittsburgh Business Times. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
