A women’s health ward at Ipswich Hospital has saved hundreds of pounds in a matter of weeks by rehoming unwanted equipment and furniture using the Warp It reuse system.

Warp It is open to all staff at the hospital and is used to redistribute unwanted furniture or equipment for free to sites within the East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust.

Housekeeper at Ipswich Hospital, Kym Blowers (pictured), has used Warp It to rehome lots of items that previously would have been sent to landfill.

Above: a wide range of items including clinical bins, bedside lockers, and a medical ward trolley have been reused.

Kym, who is based on the Stour Ward at the hospital, said:

“I’ve rehomed several items on Warp It and, so far, I’ve managed to obtain bedside lockers, filing cabinets, a trolley, whiteboards, clinical bins, 40 wooden chairs, and a medical ward trolley.”

Like other online marketplaces, hospital staff can view the list of available items on Warp It and request them for free. 

Staff can use Warp It when they’re moving offices, have unneeded medical equipment, extra furniture they don’t need, or are having a clear out. 

The Estates and Facilities Team help with transportation of furniture or equipment to its new home.

Kym added:

“I’ve found Warp It really easy to use. Once logged in you simply view all items available then click to claim an item that’s of interest. The claim is instant, and it works on a first come, first served basis and you receive a confirmation email straight away. 

“So far we’ve saved our ward a lot of money by reusing, in contrast to buying new, and, more importantly, we’ve saved many items from possibly ending up in landfill.”

Warp It logs how much carbon and money the Trust is saving, how much waste is prevented, and how many trees this equates to or cars on the road. 

Above: Housekeeper at Ipswich Hospital, Kym Blowers, has used Warp It to rehome lots of items that previously would have been sent to landfill.

Scott Yearling, portering and waste manager, said:

“This is all about saving time and money and being smarter with our resources and helping us reduce carbon missions while we do.

“We urge all staff who have something they’re keen to recycle, not leave in the corridor or outside a ward; instead, we ask them to keep hold of it in its current location and we help relocate it to its new home.

“There are so many benefits. It stops the unnecessary purchase of new equipment, while reducing disposal costs, procurement spend, reliance on storage areas, and waste.”

See more about the East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust’s sustainability activities. 

Start reusing today and register with Warp It.