OmniPod has launched the industry’s first program for the environmentally safe disposal of insulin pump components. Designed to reduce landfill and take hazardous waste right out of the waste stream, the program is a revolutionary step in the diabetes marketplace.
The Eco-Pod Program provides OmniPod customers with an easy way to reduce their impact on the environment. Customers simply log on to MyOmniPod.com and register to participate; when they do, beginning August 1, a Pod Disposal Kit will be included with each Pod re-order. The kit includes a bag for collecting used Pods, a special pre-paid, pre-addressed bio-hazard shipping envelope and an instruction sheet – all the tools customers need to do their part. Every three months, participating customers return their used Pods in the shipping envelope. While program participants are asked to cover shipping costs, Insulet handles any costs associated with the disposal process. BONUS: The first 2,000 people to enroll will receive a limited-edition eco-friendly tote bag.
While program participants are asked to cover shipping costs Mmmm Well I wonder what it will cost to ship them back also I was they were going to have a recycle plan that would make it cheaper for the customer some how…
I got it! It got mixed up in my “junk” by mistake. I just signed up. $8 for 50 pods doesn’t seem unreasonable. I’m willing to do my part. It makes me crazy to throw those things out!
haha, all I’m saying is that I don’t want to pay $8 every 3 months. I know that not recycling my pods is going to cause the world to flood and create global famine. A good plan would be to give us a real incentive that we can take to the bank such as free pods or a reduced rate on pods instead of the bandwagon hipster technique.
I live in a very Republican town in Texas and everybody here recycles, even my neighbors with the huge “welcome home, george and laura” sign. I have never witnessed recycling as being mutually exclusive to one party or the other. I think it’s more about the attitude wherever you live.
It’s not about the waste of plastic to me. It’s about the electronic pieces. I just feel like all those tiny circuit boards have got to have a better use somewhere than in my trash can. That’s worth my $8, personally.
No need to politicize the issue, because I don’t think you need to be a Republican or a Democrat to agree that this plan is half-baked.
In principle, recycling used OmniPods is a better idea than throwing them away, much like recycling aluminum cans or glass bottles is a better idea than throwing them away. However, if you had to pay each time you dropped an empty soda can or beer bottle in a recycling bin, many people would be much less likely to do it. The same goes with recycling OmniPods.
If OmniPod simply provided a pre-paid envelope at no charge (or even better a free pod for returning used pods), there would probably be a fairly high return rate. Asking people to pay $32/year for a recycling plan is going to dissuade a lot of people from participating.
But for the record, I have given up on both major political parties and will be paying to recycle my used pods.
Are the pods going to be reused? When I participated in the survey a while back, I suggested that the recycled pods be offered at a discount for people less able to pay for them so that we would be contributing to a cause of sorts, benefiting someone.
I did that same thing and there was one question that made no sense to me, it was asking about the recycling thing and I said that we should get discounts and one question said how likely are you to participate (and it asked about who would pay). It is obvious that insulet should pay, or give a REAL reason to do this. I just can’t get over having to pay $32 and SAVE insulet money! They may or may not reuse the pods, I would guess if they offer to take back pods, they would do something with them if they are smart.
-Hopefully they don’t tack on a convenient $50 disposal fee or something like that for those who don’t sign up.
I just reread their email and it sounds as though they will be recycling “parts” and disposing other parts in an enviro friendly way. Now, just what happens to the recycled parts? If parts are reusable, I’d like to know who will benefit. I’ll be glad to help reduce waste or help someone less fortunate. Maybe we’d be helping keep production costs down…Hmm…
My guess is that any used pods (including their components) would be considered medical waste and will not be reincorporated into pods for patient use.
If you go to the site, there is a page of FAQs. Here are some excerpts:
Insulet does not make money from the Eco-Pod Program. Recycling bio-hazardous materials is a complex—and therefore costly—endeavor which Insulet subsidizes in its entirety. The value of the metals recovered from used Pods barely offsets the costs to Insulet of the overall process. Insulet does not reuse any materials, nor does the company receive tax incentives or other financial benefits from the process.
Insulet is dedicated to keeping the Pod’s hazardous waste out of our nation’s landfills. However, the value of the recovered metals just offsets costs for the complex processing of hazardous waste; it is insufficient to cover shipping costs. As a small, highly focused company, any added costs we incur would have to be taken from research and development monies or else passed on to our customers. We feel it is better to ask program participants to help directly, by paying for the shipping, rather than raise the cost for all our customers.
The Pods are never reused. They are taken apart, metals are then reclaimed, and the rest of the components are ground down to minimize their landfill impact.
That is interesting… But I don’t want Insulet to subsidize a “costly disposal” that I don’t participate in. Because simply put, the way that they pay for it is by charging us more… I would like to call insulet eventually and get an answer about that…
I just read this on the omnipod website. Certain parts will be reclaimed to be used in other ways. Because pods are medical waste, they cannot be refurbished and used again.
