Scarborough Borough Residents are being encouraged to recycle unwanted medical equipment as part of a new initiative launched during Recycle Week this week.
North Yorkshire County Council says new recycling bins have been installed at household waste recycling centres (HWRCs) across North Yorkshire in partnership with Medequip, which provides community equipment services to local authorities and the NHS across the UK.
The aim is to promote the recycling of old medical equipment including crutches, walking frames and bed levers that residents may have been given from hospital.
Local NHS and social care services lose thousands of pounds each year due to missing equipment. All items returned will be assessed, safety tested and either repaired and reused or stripped down for recycling.
Cllr Derek Bastiman, executive member for waste management at North Yorkshire County Council, said:
“We are really pleased to launch this initiative to coincide with Recycle Week. The bins will make it easier for people to get rid of any unwanted medical equipment that may be cluttering up their house.
“Unfortunately perfectly good medical equipment does make its way into domestic waste so we want to change this trend. The dedicated bins are in place at all of our recycling centres and staff will be on hand for anybody who needs assistance with larger items.”
Steve Smith, regional general manager at Medequip, said:
“Supplying community equipment to ensure residents can live independently is extremely important, from a wellbeing perspective and for everyday safety. Vital equipment also supports our NHS with hospital discharges, so people can return to their home environment with equipment in place to help with daily living.”
Wendy Balmain, the North Yorkshire director of NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board, said:
"All sorts of equipment provided free of charge to help people after accidents or to keep older people independent for longer is never returned, costing the NHS hundreds of thousands of pounds every year.
"We warmly welcome the new drop-off points at HWRCs – it should make it much easier for people to return equipment that's no longer needed so it can be cleaned and checked over and then reissued to someone else in need of support."
For more information on the new Medequip bins and to find your nearest HWRC, visit the county council’s website at www.northyorks.gov.uk/medical-equipment
Fish And Ships Fest Hits Whitby
Suspended Prison Sentence for Whitby Man Who Sent Child Indecent Images
Big Ideas For Scarborough Over Next Two Weeks
Kite Festival Flying High Near Bridlington
Burglary Suspect Caught Red Handed in Scarborough
Leader Refutes Claim New North Yorkshire Council is 'Too Remote'
Police in Whitby Release CCTV Images After Theft
Yorkshire Coast Cricket Action- Scarborough Chasing First Win
Jitterbugs Childcare In Scarborough Celebrates 25th Birthday Today!
Whitby Sculptor Working in the King's Garden
Whitby Museums Work Together for Fish and Ships Festival
Funded Childcare Opens For Nine Month Olds And Above in North Yorkshire
Comments
Add a comment