Old Blood Monitors

[admc26]

One more for my mum really as she is sick of hoarding all the old blood monitors I've acquired over the years! Does anyone know of an ethical/sustainable way of getting rid of old monitors that I don't use anymore? Possibly a charity or somewhere where they are recycled?

 

[Leadinglights]

One more for my mum really as she is sick of hoarding all the old blood monitors I've acquired over the years! Does anyone know of an ethical/sustainable way of getting rid of old monitors that I don't use anymore? Possibly a charity or somewhere where they are recycled?

I suspect the availability of strips for some of the older monitors would make it not viable to recycle also potentially being in contact with blood it would preclude them from being reused by charities. When
ever we had to send instruments back for repair or calibration there was a complicated decontamination process.
Somebody else may know better.

 

[Nick Cliff]

Hi @admc26 I'm facing the same issue with my redundant Glucomen LX for which test strips are no longer manufactured. I'm going to put mine in the electricals recycling at the council dump, as there may be materials in the device that can be retrieved and reused. I'll remove the battery and recycle that at the supermarket.
As @Leadinglights says your old ones may be obsolete also. An internet search for the relevant test strips should reveal if they're obsolete or not.
Cheers Nick

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Yes I think IDDT which (at least pre-covid) used to redistribute in date diabetes supplies to the developing world didn’t take old/used meters because of the contact with blood.

Possibly any electrical recycling options close to you may be able to rescue and extract any reusable elements (it always tickles me that there is more gold in crushed up leftover mobile phones per kg, than there is in decent gold ore that would be profitably mined)

 

[admc26]

Thank you all for your replies! Yes I did suspect that a fair few of them wouldn't be of much use since the test strips are not made anymore! And you are completely right @everydayupsanddowns that it is a bit of a risk being in contact with blood!

I shall inform her and we may be making a trip to the tip and be throwing them in with old phones and things!

 

[grovesy]

My local council do kerbside collection of small electricals.