Submission Date

7-19-2024

Document Type

Paper- Restricted to Campus Access

Department

Environmental Studies

Faculty Mentor

Brie Berry

Comments

Presented during the 26th Annual Summer Fellows Symposium, July 19, 2024 at Ursinus College.

Project Description

Over 1.6 million people in the United States live with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D), an autoimmune disease that affects the body’s ability to produce insulin and regulate blood sugar. There is no cure for T1D, but there are ways to manage it – including using disposable medical technologies to deliver insulin via a smart insulin pump. Insulet’s Omnipod is an example of these wearable insulin electronic devices that adhere to the skin and are worn for 1-3 days before they are disposed of. While these devices are life-changing for people who live with T1D, they are also wasteful. Over 1,400 tons of Omnipods are disposed of each year at a global scale. There is cause for concern about the amount of waste being generated frequently from these pods as the materials within them can negatively impact the environment when put into a landfill. There is currently no infrastructure in the United States capable of recycling the pods, even when they are disassembled. This research explores solutions for disposable diabetes technology waste, drawing on a survey and semi-structured interviews with caregivers of, and people with, T1D, as well as semi-structured interviews with experts in medical and waste fields. I argue that sustainable management of Omnipods needs to be addressed at a systems-level, rather than at an individual scale. Exploring avenues and pioneering waste management by a corporation can pave the way for reimagining the disposability of the health care sector and improve current methods of disposal.

Download

Restricted

Available to Ursinus community only.

Share

COinS