Recyclability of supplies/masks, etc...

OK yet another semi-dumb question......

What to do with old supplies other than trash them? Are the plastics, etc., used in CPAP masks, tubing, and cushions suitable to put into the recycling bin?

I don't see any stamps for plastic numbers on the parts, and, therefore, don't know offhand what they actually contain.

Yes it's medical waste and yes it can be burned as such, but I don't have a hospital incinerator in my home, and would really prefer a recycling option if at all possible.

I can only imagine the mountain of plastics that gets thrown out by people all over the world on CPAP treatment.

I really don't see a problem unless you replenish your supplies real frequently. I dispose of 1 mask...1 hose...and 1 humidifier container yearly.
I think it's the daily food containers and packaging that cause the problems.

Polycarbonate and silicone both count as 'other'.
Recycling would be nice, but I don't think you need to burn them--unless you have the 'plague'.
Reusing these materials in a home workshop could be an interesting challenge.
Insulation, packing material, etc. The adventure begins.

chunkyfrog wrote:Polycarbonate and silicone both count as 'other'.
Recycling would be nice, but I don't think you need to burn them--unless you have the 'plague'.
Reusing these materials in a home workshop could be an interesting challenge.
Insulation, packing material, etc. The adventure begins.

Interesting -- yes so that would be #7 then. Those plastics would be difficult to recycle, alas. The mfgs should be more up on this issue. Dealing with all this plastic waste is an important issue to many consumers.

Nope, not burning them, obviously. They will either end up in the trash, or else a recycling facility that takes such plastics. Possibly the bins at Whole Foods take #7, I'll have to check.

Throw it in the regular trash. The "weird" materials and the multiple materials used in CPAP stuff is going to cause more problems in the recycling process than the value they add to the recycling stream. Throwing it into the recycling stream will do more harm to the environment than throwing it into the trash.

Recycling works with recognizable materials in large quantities, not with all kinds of weird stuff mixed together.

If you put the CPAP stuff in the recycling stream, there's a good chance it will be picked out and simply thrown away anyway.

I have the same problem. I really do object to just throwing away so much stuff. It can not possibly be sustainable. As changing stuff out annually, the mask is recommended to be changed every 2 weeks to a month, depending on the type, and the tubing is suppose to be changed out every few months or so. Since it's not just the people speaking up here, but hundreds in every town, this is no small amount of trash that is added on a regular basis. I understand that it comes under the heading of "weird" stuff, and that if I just put it in the bin, it's more a problem than a solution, but I looked up silicone and found that is suppose to be recyclable. I know all kinds of things from computer parts, to pretty lids for pots are made with the stuff, so there must be some place that recycles it. The manufacturer does not seem to be being responsible about this, as they just redirect questions on the issue back to the medical provider.

I gave my grandson some o2 hoses to use to siphon water in his fish tanks. Maybe we need to find uses for other equipment. Surely there is a way to use cpap hoses.

Hi, from someone ignorant about your facilities there and who doesn't want to offend anyone, but my question would be - aren't there recycling facilities where material's sorted? I think we've had them here for a long time and there's no way any equipment would not be first sent to recycling (blue bag or box at home, brought to facilities by municipal picker uppers, or by ourselves in small communities. Then everything is sorted into diff. materials before going to appropriate end users/buyers, etc. Our regular green garbage would be refused if all that kind of stuff was in there, just as blue would be if food/organic garbage ended up in them. Just interesting to hear what diff. places do. It's been many years since we were expected to sort plastics by #'s ourselves.

Sheriff Buford splits an old cpap hose, then uses it to organize computer cables.
Using our imagination, some of us could come up with something.