Circular Healthcare in Action: Local Reuse, National Impact

When we think about the circular economy, most of us picture fashion, packaging, or electronics. But one of the most overlooked and promising frontiers is medical equipment.

A good example is the thousands of walking aids, crutches, and wheelchairs sit unused in homes or end up in landfill. Perfectly good products that could save the NHS money, reduce carbon emissions, and help patients — if only there were systems in place to collect, refurbish, and redistribute them.

Back in 2018, the Department of Health and Social Care sounded the alarm, calling on the NHS to reuse more medical equipment, pointing to successful pilots like Mid Essex Hospital Trust, where over 2,000 walking aids were refurbished in a single year, saving £25,000.

Across the UK, thousands of pairs of nearly-new crutches, walking frames and wheelchairs sit unused in cupboards and corners of living rooms. Designed to last, but often discarded after a single use, these vital pieces of equipment represent a hidden environmental and financial cost.

But things are beginning to change.

Surrey’s Story: A Local Solution with Global Impact

In Surrey, more than 5,000 items of medical equipment — including crutches refurbished by young offenders at HMP Feltham — have already been given a new lease of life. Some have gone back into NHS circulation, others have been sent to Ukraine as humanitarian aid.

The scheme, led by SUEZ in partnership with Surrey County Council and local prisons, shows how joined-up thinking can reduce waste, save taxpayers money, and provide skills development for participants. What once ended up as scrap is now helping people walk, recover and rebuild their lives.

A Growing National Movement

Surrey is not alone. Across the UK, NHS Trusts and local authorities are experimenting with similar initiatives:

• Durham County Council collects walking aids at household waste sites, sanitises and reuses them within the NHS.

• Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust runs a successful walking aids recycling scheme, avoiding both waste and unnecessary purchasing.

• Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust and Berkshire Healthcare have also adopted structured walking aid return schemes.

  
  

These programmes are part of a bigger NHS ambition: the Design for Life Roadmap, published in 2025, which sets out a 20-year vision to embed circular practices into medical technology — reducing reliance on single-use products, cutting emissions, and building NHS resilience.

Looking Beyond the UK

Globally, the challenge of medical waste is immense. Encouragingly, innovative solutions are emerging:

• In France, the non-profit Paradisante refurbishes and redistributes medical devices collecting equipment with a value of over 2.5 million euros.

• In the US, Project C.U.R.E. has built the world’s largest supply chain for donated medical equipment, taking decommissioned and surplus medical equipment and distributing to those in need.

These examples sh

ow that a system of circular healthcare is possible.

Why This Matters

Reusing medical equipment isn’t simply about saving money (though the figures are compelling). It’s about:

• Reducing carbon emissions linked to manufacturing and disposal.

• Increasing resilience by reducing reliance on fragile global supply chains.

• Delivering better patient care by ensuring equipment is available when and where it’s needed.

• Creating social value through skills training, volunteering and community engagement.

We believe that these kinds of initiatives show the power of local repair, reuse and circular systems to contribute to national and global ambitions. Surrey’s scheme is not an isolated success story — it’s part of a wider movement redefining how we think about value, waste and resilience in healthcare.

As the NHS moves towards its vision of a circular future, communities, local authorities, and businesses all have a role to play. Together, we can ensure that no crutch, wheelchair or frame sits forgotten in a corner — but instead continues its journey, helping the next person in need.