I know Insulet had/has a program to recycle used pods, but I didn’t do that and I had 3 years worth of pods I’ve accumulated since I started using the OmniPod. I took them to a pharmacy that accepts used syringes, but they said they could not accept the pods and suggested trying to turn them in at the local police station. The one in my town accepts old medications for disposal, so I gave them a try. I was surprised that they actually accepted the whole lot of them (and did not charge me anything to do so). Initially, there was some confusion as to whether they would take them or not, but finally decided to do so - I guess I was the first to try this. I was wondering how other OmniPod users dispose of their old pods. Do you toss them out with the garbage, send them away for recycling, or what? Thanks.
I use their free enviro-bags, free shipping to return. My alternative would be to throw them in the garbage, and I don’t want to do that. I prefer to believe that Insulet’s recycling of parts helps keep the overall costs down.
How about putting them in a coffee can or other container ,cover it, put duck tape on it .then mark sharps put it in the trash. You can check with your area trash disposal department. I am not a pod user but thought this might work. Nancy
How do you request these enviro-bags?
I use to pry them open, then take out the batteries (hearing aid types) and take them to a local battery recycler, but the newer pods are a lot harder to open now. Also, I use to toss the plastic tops into our local recycling like we do to the plastic milk jugs. As I said, since they have been using a different type of glue, now they are just too difficult to pry apart. I know we shouldn’t fill the land fills with this stuff because of the lead solder on the tiny circuit boards, but not many places want to take them as well. We had a couple of failed Pods that wouldn’t stop sounding its annoying squealing steady alarm. So I had to hit them with a hammer to get the alarm to stop squealing.
Here in Canada, at least, whenever I place an order for pods, customer service asks if I need a bag. It comes with a pre-printed, pre-oaid FedEx label, and I just drop it off at my local FedEx outlet.
By the way, next time you have to shut off the steady alarm, peel back the covering on the corner opposite the fill port. You’ll see another hole. Stick the end of a paper clip in there. (That’s on page 132 of the User Guide, but it’s not easy to find in the index.)
Hey Beacher Thanks for the insight tip to get the annoying alarm to stop blaring. Do you order the Pods directly from Insulet in Billerica, Mass or another supplier? Because Insulet hasn’t asked my wife if she wanted these enviro-bags ever since she placed her first order for Pods some seven years ago now. BTW: Insulet wanted to charge us $14/shipment if we wanted to return them for re-cycling as my wife just informed me. So we passed on this service since they are already making a nice profit on a box of 10 @ $300/box.
In Canada, I order pods through Diabetes Express (online pharmacy) where you can get the POD disposal kit for a whopping $0.00. The disposal kit is a pre-paid fedex label and a red bag which you are supposed to fill with 50 pods per bag.
Instructions are in the link below. I am curious what the other Americans do.
I use to throw them in the garbage but there are great insights here will sure try to dispose
Where do you order your pods from?
In Canada, from Diabetes Express: https://omnipod.diabetesexpress.ca/. They handle shipping for Omnipod Canada, which no longer ships pods themselves.
Do they still take used pods?
They do. You can order the Eco-Pod envelope for free from Diabetes Express when you order pods. You put up to 50 used pods in the pre-addressed FedEx envelope and either drop it off at a FedEx outlet or call FedEx for pickup. Return shipping is free. The used pods go to a medical recycling company.
I don’t understand how they can go in a bag–don’t they still have a needle in them? I always put mine in a sharps container. I haven’t seen these “recycle bags”…are they hard plastic or something?
They have a needle inside them, but not sticking out of them, and the flexible cannula isn’t going to pose a risk to anyone. The bags Insulet provides are strong plastic but not special biohazard bags.
I called Omnipod to reorder my recycling kit and was told that they are no longer doing this as the program was unpopular.
I was advised to simply throw the used pods away in the trash. What a waste.
Just to clarify that the cancellation is in the U.S. only. Canada has not cancelled its Eco-Pod program.
For what it’s worth, I called my city’s waste management program to discuss what to do with the used pods. They were admittedly confounded by the mixed nature of the pods (electronics/sharps/biohazard/battery/plastics) but ultimately they consulted with the hazardous waste dept who advised me to dispose of the pods as part of the city sharps recycling program.
You definitely piqued my interest. Since I last ‘disposed’ of pods, I’ve been accumulating used ones in the basement and probably now have about 200 of them (4+ boxes that they came in, about 50 per box I estimate). I can pack and send 3 of these boxes each time I’ve accumulated another 3 using the packing box they were originally shipped in. I appreciate your offer to reimburse my costs for sending them, but at this point in my life, I can afford to pay for sending them. My only desire is to dispose of them in an eco-friendly manner. Can I ask what you intend to do with them?
Thanks,
Nick
In a message dated 12/23/2018 8:38:55 PM Eastern Standard Time, tudiabetes@discoursemail.com writes: