DEXCOM G6 waste

I just got my new Dexcom G6 and am horrified by how much waste there is. It seems like 50 bottles of plastic for every insertion device. In this day and age I am surprised that with all the technological brains DEXCOM has behind them, they cant make a more environmentally oriented device. I called them this morning and the good news is that you can recycle the device. I encourage you all to toss it in the recycle bin!

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I’ve never been horrified, or worried, or concerned about packaging waste, as long as I don’t run out of space in my trash and recycle bins. there is so much more to worry about in life. Be happy you have access to this great technology.

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I definitely think there is room for improvement to minimize diabetes medical waste and increase recycling. The cost of any physical item should include the entire lifecycle cost, including disposal.

You may not be aware, however, that the G6 disposable inserter, though it appears larger, is equivalent to the G4/G5 inserter. I think the larger volume that the G6 inserter occupies grabs our attention and raises the whole green issue.

Maybe we can’t fix this issue, but I honestly believe we can do better.

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To me that’s like saying “I don’t care if I use 1,000 plastic Dasani bottles a month as long as I recycle and there is space,” as opposed to using a water bottle. I think we can all do better.

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Me too. I called and asked them to put a recycle sign on the box and inserter. I feel like that would be a good start.

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I’m surprised at this info from Dexcom.

Their website says not recycle, due to possible blood on device.

Dexcom G6 recycle comment

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There are also metal bits inside the thing that I’m not sure are on the list of recyclables where I live.

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Weird.

that is not a comparison. It’s hyperbole at it’s worst. give it a rest, eh?

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I certainly can appreciate the sentiment about wanting to reduce waste. It can be overwhelming sometimes in this “modern” day and age. What I try to do is reduce my use of single-use plastics wherever I can because, quite honestly, I can live just fine without things like bottled water, straws, plastic bags, etc. But when it comes to my Dexcom that is something I cannot live without. So it’s a trade off. Reduce waste where you can. Accept it where you can’t.

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I suspect G7 will be much improved from a waste standpoint.

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That seems a reasonable balance.

Thank you for posting. Years ago I called the company that makes One Touch blood glucose testing strips and asked them to make the containers recyclable. They at least are putting double the strips in the containers now. They told me there is so much technology they would have to look into since the strips must stay dry. I toss only 3 bags of total household trash each year since 2015 and most of it is waste from my insulin pump, glucose strips and Dexcom.

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Dave44 I like and agree with most of your comments on this site, but Molly_S is right. There is much to much waste in diabetic care. A lot is generated by legalese.
I’ve been using a CGM since the Seven+ came out and was pumping before that time, between these two great technology systems for diabetics there is too much waste.
Every time when I get a 3 month supply I’m amazed at the tens of booklet inserts I get in each inset box, each cannula/tubing box, each sensor box, etc… Why does a box of insets (Inset 30) has plastic holder/dividers in it like an egg carton while each inset is in a solid plastic applicator and individually shrink wrapped. These aren’t breakable items. They ship a lot of air.
I just changed from a G4 to a G6 and that packaging and its applicator is the worst.
Bottom line; if you are on a continuous treatment of diabetic care with automatic reorder I think the manufacturer could save (us) a lot of money by putting your 30/90 day supply in one box after you have signed of on the legalese they normally include in the 10+ boxes they sent.
It is a big waste and every 90 days I easily fill up a recycle container for, plastic, cardboard, and or mixed with my medical PACKAGING waste.
Yes it is great to have the technology available but too many people think like you hence we have an island of waste twice the size of Texas floating in the Pacific or almost 15% of Europe. so lets not (buy) throw another water bottle away.

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Yes there is waste. Am I bothered by it? ah, no, as the waste is vastly unimportant relative to the fantastic technology that I’m using.

You should be FAR MORE CONCERNED about concrete than plastic. I’m serious. Read up on how concrete is affecting our planet.

Yes concrete is bad too that is why I don’t have a concrete drive and a brick/block foundation, but plastic waste here in the US is too much and I and you can do something about it by using re-useable bag and paper bags instead of plastic and don’t buy water in plastic bottles. Buy drinkable in glass or aluminum containers. It is a little you can do much more so than avoiding concrete which you personally can’t control as much.

The US population can learn something from Scandinavia and even Western Europe

Image result for earth picture of plastic waste in pacific

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Image result for earth picture of plastic waste in pacific

As a recreational boater I find the above atrocious.

Like I said before you can do something now that all that technology makes you live a longer and more productive live.

Thanks,

E-J

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Read up on how much energy is needed for glass vs plastic and how that energy must be created. That might give u pause to recommend the usual knee-kick responses of so many environmental activists.

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Dave it isn’t a question of how much energy is used to make something it is a statement of how much trash is created that isn’t recycled.

I think eventually the solution will be a biodegradable, “plastic” product that when broken, will degrade completely without toxic residue. To satisfy environmentalists it also needs to be produced with relatively low energy inputs.

I got 3 meds from OptumRx yesterday. There were 14 pages included, single-sided. Talk about a waste. One page mentioned going paperless, so I’ll do my part to save a portion of a tree and sign up for paperless.

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