Hi all,
I have a question for those who are also on the Omnipod. I called the company and they told me they stopped recycling used pods. It sounded like that changed in 2018.
That is a bummer for me as that option was definitely a factor in my decision to go with them.
Now I have to figure out what to do with these bulky devices that preferably isn’t tossing them in the trash. Has anyone figured this out?
If you don’t want to throw anything out, you can get some of the glass syringes that were used long ago. Put them in boiling water to sterilize them. You had to resharpen the needles every once-in-a-while, but there was no waste with that system, so it was great!
And test strips are also thrown away now too, unfortunately you can’t recycle them. 
But maybe you could get some of the old urine testing kits where you used an eye-dropper and mixed your urine with water in a test tube and added a pill. Other than the pill, everything was reused there. But there wasn’t any plastic waste with that system, so it was great.
Anyway, those might be some good solutions for no waste.
I don’t use an Omnipod, in part due to the waste issue. But it’s not plastic waste that bothers me so much. That is hard to totally avoid in this day and age. (I’ve gone mostly plastic-free in my life, but medical devices is an exception, though it would be nice if things like test strip containers and packaging for infusion sets could be recycled!) It’s the electronics waste that bothers me more.
You mean like the 3 DLP TV’s that I threw away? or the various stereo equipment? or the 2 OfficeJets that I might have to toss if no one will buy them? THOSE things? It’s impossible to get rid of most obsolete electronics. I still have shelves full of equipment I don’t use…
If you saw the amount of trash that just ONE surgery center (not even a hospital, mind you) threw out each day, you wouldn’t give a thought to the measly amount you dispose of every week or so. The amount of disposable stuff used in surgery is mind-boggling.
Have you tried looking into recycling options? Most areas have them these days, though you may have to pay a fee to drop stuff off.
I personally am trying to upgrade less often. If it works and meets my needs, I’ll use it basically until it breaks. If it no longer meets my needs or becomes obsolete or broken or I no longer need it, I either sell it, donate it, or recycle it.
I have done all three.
My fav recycle method is when the recyclers come to my house on a scheduled day for pickup or I call them and see if they want a particular item. I’m not into driving to random pickup points to wait in a line for lord knows how long. too much hassle. let someone else do that–I like when they come to me, instead.
A long shot, maybe, but if you know a Canadian Omnipod user (maybe ask for a volunteer on a FB group?), you could ship your pods to them, because Insulet Canada still recycles pods. But it’s probably easier and cheaper to grit your teeth and throw them in the trash.
I’m pretty sure surgery centres are a US thing. At least I’ve never heard of them in Canada. I’ve always had surgical procedures, even minor ones, done at hospitals.
Yes, I would. I said above that medical stuff mostly doesn’t count in my book. We already have enough to deal with and most medical stuff is disposable and that’s not going to change. Heck, I wouldn’t be alive today were it not for disposable medical supplies, so I have no complaints about the plastic there. But I’ll recycle anything I can and I’ll make efforts to avoid waste where I can. I’m not going to change the world myself, but if a few billion people did as I did, especially leaders of organizations, that would most certainly have an impact.
I can’t drive at all, so I agree, it would be great if they’d pick it up. We have pretty good recycling in my city. There are still things I like to recycle that aren’t picked up, such as soft plastic packaging, batteries, and electronics. Fortunately that stuff usually isn’t heavy, so I save up a month or two worth and then get the bus down to the recycling depot to drop it off.
Yeah agreed. If I can go just a bit out of my way to avoid putting batteries in the landfill, I’ll do it. Perhaps the pods could go the route of e-waste.
Best Buy will recycle your old TV’s, printers, computers etc. They take old batteries and so does Lowes, on the batteries that is. I have tried different venues for recycling different items. Just keep looking.
I might call BB if I can’t sell my 2 printers. I’ve got 2 HP 7410’s for $25 but no takers so far.