FODAC gives medical equipment a second life while keeping millions of pounds out of landfills

ATLANTA — On Earth Day, a metro Atlanta nonprofit is highlighting how medical equipment that might otherwise end up in landfills is being repaired, repurposed and put back into the community.

At Friends of Disabled Adults and Children (FODAC), donated wheelchairs, walkers, hospital beds and other home medical equipment are collected, refurbished and redistributed to people who need them most.

As demand grows for affordable equipment across Georgia, the organization is expanding its reach through partnerships with Rotary Clubs in Sandy Springs, Henry County and Morgan County. The goal is to make it easier for people to donate gently used equipment and keep it circulating where it is needed most.

That includes items that are often out of reach for families without insurance coverage or the ability to pay out of pocket.

FODAC also says its work carries a significant environmental impact, diverting more than one million pounds of medical equipment from landfills each year.

“There are 450 tons of raw product that we recycle,” said Chris Brand, president and director of FODAC.

Inside the organization’s facility, that work is detailed and hands-on. Equipment is broken down, sorted, and either refurbished or recycled.

Power wheelchairs, which can cost $40,000 to $60,000, are among the most complex items to process.

“These big power chairs that you see roll around, these big high-tech power chairs, these things are 40 to 60 thousand dollars if insurance pays for that,” Brand said. “But those batteries at the end of life are so hard to get out and move, so we have 60 at any given time that we have to pull those batteries out.”

From there, teams carefully strip down the equipment to recover usable parts and properly recycle materials that can no longer be used.

“We have to strip down and get all of the batteries out, all the batteries, and then recycle the metal and pull off any parts we can use, because most of them are worn out when we get them,” Brand said.

Brand said sustainability has been part of FODAC’s mission from the beginning, including investments like solar panels at its facility.

“Because we collect things that people can’t use and we repurpose them and give them new life to help people who are vulnerable, who have disabilities or physical injuries, it’s always been a part of our story, being green,” he said.

For people receiving the equipment, the impact can be immediate, restoring mobility and independence for daily life.

FODAC says it refurbishes more than 10,000 pieces of home medical equipment each year, helping families save millions of dollars and expanding access across all 50 states and several U.S. territories.

As Earth Day is observed, the organization is also inviting the community to participate in its annual Run, Walk ‘n’ Roll event at Stone Mountain Park, supporting its mission to recycle equipment and restore mobility for those in need.