Give Assistive Equipment a Second Life / Дай нов живот на помощното средство

Give Assistive Equipment a Second Life is a community-based waste prevention and social solidarity initiative organised by Dobroletie-BG Ltd., a Bulgarian social enterprise supporting people with disabilities, people with reduced mobility and their families.

During the European Week for Waste Reduction 2026, citizens, organisations and institutions in Plovdiv will be invited to donate assistive and mobility equipment that they no longer use, including wheelchairs, walkers, rollators, crutches, bathing and toileting aids, patient hoists and hospital beds.

The main public collection event will take place at Youth Centre Plovdiv with the support of the Municipality of Plovdiv. The venue will also serve as a space for meeting citizens, raising awareness and presenting the environmental and social benefits of reuse and repair.

Dobroletie’s team will register and technically assess the donated equipment. Items suitable for safe reuse will be cleaned, disinfected, repaired or refurbished and then provided to people who genuinely need them through local social partners and the “Heart in Action” platform. Equipment that cannot be safely reused will not be redistributed and will be referred to an appropriate authorised waste-management route whenever possible.

Volunteers, students, social organisations and business partners will be invited to support the collection, registration, communication and distribution activities.

The initiative combines waste prevention with social inclusion. Its purpose is to extend the useful life of valuable products, reduce the consumption of new materials and make essential assistive equipment more accessible.

The pilot aims to collect between 40 and 80 items and return at least 60% of the suitable equipment to active use. The results will be measured through the number and estimated weight of collected, repaired and redistributed items, as well as the number of donors, volunteers and beneficiaries involved.

The initiative is free of charge and open to the public. It is intended to continue beyond the EWWR through the “Heart in Action” platform and future collection and reuse campaigns.