MINNEAPOLIS, MN (February 19, 2021) – Minnesota-based global NGO MATTER today announced, through the MATTER 360 initiative of repurposing medical equipment and supplies, that 1.5 million pounds of medical surplus was saved from landfills in 2020.
MATTER is committed to repurposing medical equipment and supplies to aid people and reduce landfill non hazardous medical waste, and accomplishes this through distributions to international hospital and clinic partners, from resale efforts, and by recycling. MATTER has been involved in repurposing medical equipment and supplies since 2002, and in 2019, more than 1 million pounds was repurposed.
Most medical supplies and equipment donated to MATTER (93 percent) is repurposed through distribution to hospital and clinics around the globe. This allows medical equipment and supplies, not useful in their current situation, to transform into a vital, lifesaving role in another part of the world.
Ellie Zuehlke, Director, Community Benefit & Engagement at Allina Health, and a MATTER board member commented, “2020 shifted the landscape of healthcare as we had to reassess priorities and reallocate resources to battle the COVID pandemic. By taking our surplus and retired equipment and supplies, MATTER was, and continues to be, an essential partner in our ability to react quickly to the crisis. And knowing that our surplus inventory will not sit in a landfill somewhere but be used to improve healthcare for others makes this partnership crucial to Allina’s mission of helping others and being good stewards of our environment.”
Of the remaining supplies and equipment received, MATTER remarkets approximately 2 percent via sales channels to support MATTER projects and operations. Unusable supplies and equipment, approximately 5 percent, is recycled annually, resulting in total waste of just 0.6%.
“We remain grateful to our growing number of partners, such as hospitals and clinics, who trust us to make sure their medical surplus, whether equipment or supplies, benefit others when they are not of use in their present situation,” stated Joel Anderson, Medical Program Director at MATTER. “We are committed to providing a responsive, easy way to facilitate the quick donation of medical supplies and equipment for our partners, helping to make sustainability sustainable.”
About MATTER
MATTER, a Minnesota-based global NGO, brings together the best companies, experts, problem solvers, dreamers and above all, doers, to kickstart big ideas that can change the world. This collaborative movement has inspired solutions in health access, activating healthy eating for children and families, regenerative agriculture, and student-centered education, collectively impacting more than 14 million lives. MATTER’s guiding belief is encapsulated in the simple yet powerful expression, YOU MATTER. Learn more at www.matter.ngo.
