PhysioNet

Four men standing in front of a van loaded with salvaged mobility aids.

Reuse feature: PhysioNet

The gift of mobilty is truly that, a gift.

We spend much of our lives moving to and from. To school, from work, home, or simply to the kettle. For those of us where movement comes naturally, we rarely consider to what length our life would be different if it weren’t as easy. Putting one foot in front of another is simple for many of us, but not everyone.

Thankfully, groups like PhysioNet partner with organisations like Bristol Waste which collect wheelchairs, walking frames, crutches and other specialist mobility equipment at our Household Waste and Recycling Centres. Bristol’s pre-loved and fit for purpose mobility aids are put aside to be collected by PhysioNet, assessed by their team and sent to families in over 30 countries around the world.

In March, Bristol Waste donated over two dozen crutches, walking frames and even a few wheelchairs that were brought to our Days Road and Avonmouth Household Waste Recycling Centres to be recycled.

“It was a simple thing we could do,” said Tom Watton, Operations Manager for Processing at Bristol Waste. “These mobility aids have the chance to not only benefit someone who may not otherwise have the means to obtain them, but they are reused again and avoid the scrapheap.”

PhysioNet gained the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in 2017 and have operations in full-swing in different parts of the UK, including East Anglia, Lancashire, Southern England and the West Country.

Bristol Waste is proud to support PhysioNet and the work they do to promote reuse while providing the gift of mobility to those who need it most.

“It’s important to us as a company that we find new ways to support reuse”, said Andrew Green, the site supervisor for Days Road. “We see good quality items being brought to our HWRCs on a daily basis and the more often we can divert these from the waste stream, the better it is for our community and the environment.”

If you or someone you know has pre-loved, fit for purpose mobility aids that are no longer needed, they can be brought to our Household Waste Recycling Centres to be part of a future donation to PhysioNet.

To learn more about PhysioNet, the work they do and the recipients of their mobility aides, visit their website at www.physionet.org.uk.


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