Assistive tech provider urges walking aid returns during National Recycle Week 2022

Outsourced community equipment service (CES) provider Medequip is encouraging the return of vital walking aids, such as walking sticks, frames, rollators, and crutches, which can be safely refurbished and reused repeatedly.

The call comes during WRAP’s National Recycle Week, which runs from 17-23 October 2022.

National Recycle Week 2022 is a good opportunity to boost return and reuse, which will help improve availability for patients, reduce carbon emissions, and save money.

Patients can find out where to return their walking aids by visiting their local trust’s website or by using the WRAP Recycle Now Tool.

Alex Roberts, Engagement Manager at Medequip, said: “Supporting National Recycle Week helps us build on our existing campaigns to encourage people to return unused equipment, in most cases equipment can be cleaned and reused for someone else in the community.”

All 24 of Medequip’s depots are being utilised as equipment drop-off points during Recycle Week. Medequip also has 65 amnesty bin drop-off points that can be found across the UK.

As a national CES provider, Medequip serves a population of over 20 million people, providing thousands of pieces of equipment every day to people with mobility issues and disabilities. The service includes equipment procurement, maintenance, collection, cleaning, and recycling of equipment, so it can be reissued to another person in the community.

Medequip has an impressive equipment recycle rate, which it states is currently 88 percent of returned items.

Crutches, frames, and walking sticks provide an excellent opportunity for carbon savings due to the high greenhouse gas intensity of aluminium manufacture, according to the provider.

WRAP (The Waste and Resources Action Programme) is a charity working with the UK Government, businesses, and citizens to create a world where resources are sourced and used sustainably. NHS England is also supporting Recycle Week 2022 and encouraging trusts to use the week to set up a new scheme or boost return rates for an existing scheme.

Suzanne Rastrick, Chief Allied Health Professions Officer for NHS England, commented: “Increasing the amount of walking aids, such as crutches, walking sticks and walking frames, that are reused by patients is an important priority for the NHS. As well as helping to reduce the NHS carbon footprint, it can help the NHS to use its resources more effectively and save taxpayers money.”

To find out how to return unwanted community equipment, visit this page to check the local authority areas Medequip serves.

Earlier this year, the CES provider teamed up with Age UK Wirral to encourage local community equipment returns. Age UK Wirral charity shops accepted Medequip-labelled community equipment that was prescribed to a service user but no longer needed.