Re-gift your walking aids or equipment to be refurbished

 

Did you discover a walking stick or set of crutches when you were in the garage looking for your outdoor Christmas lights?

Or perhaps you are helping a loved one do a pre-Christmas clear out and spotted a piece of equipment which needs to be returned after doing its job to help a family member?

The good news is you can still “re-gift” these items and a range of others to help someone else in your local community.

NHS Fife and Fife Council, through the Fife Health and Social Care Partnership, launched a campaign to encourage people to return their walking aids and equipment so they can be refurbished and used again last month.

Not only does it have environmental benefits, but it also has a financial benefit too and there’s a range of things you can return, not just walking sticks and crutches.

What can be recycled?

·       Walking Frames

·       Crutches

·       Sticks

·       Bath Boards, Bath Lifts, Shower Seats

·       Toilet Frames, Commodes

·       Orthopaedic Chairs, Perching Stools

·       Trolleys

·       Bed Rails

·       Over Bed Tables

Where can you recycle the items?

When you, or your relative, no longer require the equipment you can return it to a local Recycling Centre - ask staff at the recycling centre for the community equipment recycling container. The equipment can then be refurbished and used again if it is in good condition.

Find your nearest recycling point online: https://www.fife.gov.uk/kb/docs/articles/bins-and-recycling/recycling-points-and-centres

If you can’t get to a recycling centre, you can call the Fife Equipment Loan store (FELS) support team to arrange for an uplift on 01592 583252. 

You should also call the support team if you have an item listed below that was originally loaned from FELS.

Please don’t take any equipment to be recycled to hospitals, health centres or Fife Council offices as there isn’t designated storage space to keep these items in those locations.

What is FELS?

The Fife Equipment Loan store (FELS) loan equipment to support people to remain in their own home or homely setting.

FELS loan out equipment such as:

·       Walking aids

·       Toileting & showering equipment

·       Pressure cushions & mattresses

·       Beds and hoists

If you have equipment on loan from FELS or can’t get to a recycling centre, you can call their support team to arrange for an uplift on 01592 583252.  

 Lynne Garvey, Director of the Fife Health and Social Care Partnership said: “In the first two weeks of the campaign, people really responded well– with 17 pairs of crutches and 10 walking sticks returned to Fife Council recycling centres and the NHS Fife Orthopaedic Service.  The equipment returned will be refurbished and re-used.

“This was a great initial result and we are really grateful to those who’ve returned these items.

“But we also want to remind people they can recycle other equipment too – not just crutches and walking sticks – on an ongoing basis.

 “If people find it difficult to get the items to a local recycling centre, especially perhaps some of the larger pieces of equipment that are often loaned out, they can phone our FELS support team who will come and uplift them free of charge.

“This equipment amnesty will allow us to recycle and refurbish essential items to allow others to have the equipment they need to remain independent at home or in a homely setting for as long as possible and is a great way of giving back to your own community.”