CVS Is Switching to Aluminum Pill Bottles

Jun 17, 2026 8:00 AM

They’re much more recyclable than the current plastic ones, and they will still probably be locked away behind that anti-theft plexiglass.

Courtesy of CVS

CVS is changing up its over-the-counter pill bottles, swapping out the plastic for aluminum.

For decades, pills have typically come packaged in hard plastic containers. While technically recyclable, these containers tend to be accepted in fewer places than the much more broadly recyclable aluminum.

The retail pharmacy chain will soon start selling generic, CVS-brand versions of some allergy and pain-relief medications bottled up in aluminum.

“For OTC medications, aluminum packaging offers several practical and sustainability benefits,” wrote Mike Wier, vice president of store brands at CVS, in an email to WIRED. “Like more traditional packaging options, aluminum provides a strong barrier to help maintain stability and shelf life.”

The first aluminum offerings start with CVS’s value-size versions of allergy medications...

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