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Newlife the Charity for Disabled Children has announced that Murrays Medical will take over the running of its successful specialist equipment recycling service, NewlifeAble, after running the charity’s service for the past three years.

The charity launched the recycling service in 2014 following reports that large quantities of recyclable and reusable disability equipment were being sent to landfill or were left unused in healthcare stores throughout the UK.

According to Newlife, families struggling to get hold of specialist equipment through their local health or social care services were often buying this equipment second-hand from online auction sites, unable to afford to purchase the equipment new.

Sheila Brown OBE, CEO of Newlife, said: “Authorities sending fully functional disability equipment to landfill is not only extremely bad for the planet but devastating for the families denied equipment from statutory services and simply unable to afford to buy brand new direct from suppliers.

“The danger of buying second-hand equipment through an auction site or car boot sale is there’s no guarantee that it works, as well as the obvious concern about cleanliness and, most importantly, is it suited to the child’s needs.”

In response, the charity launched an equipment recycling service, managed by Murrays Medical, which saw equipment clinically cleaned and refurbished to the same MRSA standards used by the NHS before being resold by the charity to families at a reduced price.

Once refurbished and decontaminated, Newlife would sell the equipment to families at affordable prices.

“In the three years we’ve been running this unique service, we’ve rescued and refurbished many thousands of pieces of specialist equipment from being sent to landfill, proving there’s a clear demand from families, not to mention the far-reaching environmental benefits,” Sheila added.

“Families in desperate need of equipment, often unable to get it through statutory means, have been able to purchase equipment at an affordable price with peace of mind that it’s fully functioning, clinically clean, safe to use and fit for purpose.”

Newlife has now handed over the service to Murrays Medical, with the equipment provider giving Newlife a 10 percent donation from every sale of the refurbished equipment that will support charity’s core work.

“Having proved the service works, we’re delighted to announce that Murrays will take over the full service supplementing its current offerings,” Sheila concluded.

The charity is now calling on families and healthcare professionals that have paediatric specialist equipment that they no longer require to contact the service on 01527 871924 to arrange collection, with the equipment either being refurbished or broken down for raw materials, such as metals or woods.

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