Could the UK be more sustainable in reusing disability equipment?
Have you ever had to use an item such as a crutch or a walking stick for a period of time and then found when you no longer need it, it is not possible to hand it back to anyone? Unfortunately, this is something I hear time and again both through my personal and professional activities. Many people consider it a waste of public funds, although there is a similar level of frustration when interacting with the private sector.
I am an occupational therapist (OT) whose current role is Quality Manager Expert Witness for Keystone Case Management. In my own time, I am a charity trustee for overseas charities working to support and empower people with disabilities.
Through my own occupations, I am aware of the extensive waste of disability equipment into UK landfill. While localised efforts within health, social care and the charitable sector exist, these are generally limited, poorly funded, sporadically located and operating without any overarching policy or national direction. Whilst overseas charities benefit from unwanted equipment – it helps to improve the lives of many people for whom it is otherwise unobtainable, it is nonetheless intriguing and concerning why the UK is not reusing or recycling more to reduce any impact on the environment.
There is a need to identify the barriers to poor reuse, clarify routes for improved reuse, provide practical solutions for a UK-wide change to current practice and practice circulatory, and address this largely ignored problem. In addition, we need a combined and deliberate effort from equipment suppliers to adopt more sustainable practices, and for the health and social care sectors be active in helping the NHS achieve its net zero targets.