Pharmacy drive-throughs get green makeover

Retailers can find myriad ways to reduce their carbon footprints, but one way has become a common feature: the drive-through lane.

Over the past few years, Cincinnati-based E.F. Bavis and Associates has a number of drive-through systems designed to preserve the convenience of drug delivery by car window while also helping drug stores use less energy and produce less carbon dioxide.


Last month, the company introduced the Bavis Solar Transaction Drawer, a modification of its original, nonsolar drawer. The drawer is designed to eliminate problems at drive-through windows, such as the inability to reach items and poor audio communication, in addition to requiring little maintenance and fewer replacement parts. Virtually every component of the drawer is recyclable and made in the United States.


Last September, the company introduced the Bavis Solar Captive Carrier TransTrax conveyor delivery system, a solar-powered version of the original TransTrax, designed to replace pneumatic tube systems, which the company said produce nearly 3,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide per year. The solar TransTrax, E.F. Bavis said, can save users about $6,000 over a 10-year period.