Recycling

The one thing on my mind regarding the OmniPod and if I should switch to it is the recycling of the Pods. Can anyone enlighten me as to how much is recycled, what is recycled and how much goes into landfills.

Many thanks,

Becky

Dallas, TX

I don’t know the answer. Concerns about waste was one of the reasons my daughter decided against an OmniPod, and I’m glad you’re taking this into consideration.

Also, there is an Omnipod group on TuDiabetes. Did you check there?

Yes, thought I had posted to the Omnipod group. But am glad to hear from you about your daughter and her reasons as well. This is a big deal…

Becky, I’ve asked this of Customer service at Omnipod, and don’t really have a clear answer–yet. The last time I asked I got the impression that more people were asking, so hopefully they are working on this. One of my thoughts is: what percentage is recycled back into Omnipod? I’ve signed up for the recycling program, which is easy enough, though I too would like to know where the materials are re-used. If I find out, I’ll let you know!

Maybe I can help with this topic; Denver had its Diabetes Expo over the past weekend and I made it a point to stop and talk with the Omnipod rep.

It was the rep who touched on the topic of recyclability. He said that Omnipod users are sent a pouch to return used pods postage pre-paid. The pods are taken apart and all recyclable parts removed; about the only pieces that can’t be reused are the electronic components (because of mercury, no doubt). I watched as the rep took apart a demo pod; the piece containing the electronics is perhaps 1/32" thick.

Of course, there’s no ironclad assurance that the policy is in fact Omnipod’s practice. Even so, the implication was that the plastics are not used to make new pods but go through a process similar to most households’ – recycling through local government programs/pickups.

So who knows? Your next fleece pullover might have once been a pod!

-vicki