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Local Witham MP Priti Patel visits ECL Community Equipment

ECL (Essex Cares Ltd.), the Local Trading Authority Company of Essex County Council was honoured to have a visit by local Witham MP and Secretary of State for International Development, Priti Patel to the Essex Equipment Service last week.

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Priti Patel Local Visit ECL Community Equipment
​From left to right, Trudi Foster (Head of ECL Community Equipment), Peter Martin (Chairman – Non Executive Director), MP Priti Patel and Joe Coogan (Director of Operations)

While onsite she visited workers at the service, being shown how equipment was sorted, cleaned, and sent back out for re-use or recycled. The site includes the Aqua-phase machine, which de-contaminates and sterilises the equipment ready for re-use.

I was pleased to visit Essex Cares on Friday and see at first hand their operations. They provide an important service to local people and support vulnerable and disabled residents. I discussed with them their business operations and the steps being taken to get care equipment to people who need it as soon as possible.

Priti Patel, was delighted with what she saw
Priti Patel local visit to ECL Community Equipment

Over the last six months we saved over £2,000,000 in equipment costs thanks to the amount we recycle. When we recycle old equipment, all the money earned is ploughed back into new items which helps keep the cost to taxpayers down.

We are proud of the service we provide to people who depend on this equipment and were proud to show our operation to our local MP.

Joe Coogan, Operations Director, ECL

In June 2017 the company collected 3,500 used items from homes, 95 per cent of those were cleaned, refurbished and reused by other customers in around four days, with five per cent being scrapped.

Last month 93 per cent of the 2,226 items collected were reused and this turnaround means equipment is constantly moving in and out of the yard in Witham.

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