Background The life cycle of equipment in a medical institution is short due to the need to ensure functionality, security and adaptation to new standards. It is estimated that equipment in European hospitals has an average life cycle of five years. The disposal of the equipment follows different processes that can vary according to place and type of device. However, the disposal of these devices, which is not standardised, involves important ethical, environmental and economic issues. For instance, the devices are sometimes discarded in good condition and so could find a new use; they are disposed of without taking into account their characteristics; and they are donated to charities without first verifying their functionality, thereby transferring disposal problems to another entity. Environmental problems, such as harmful emissions and the presence of chemicals in the environment, can also occur. Objectives The LIFE MED project aims to improve waste management for discarded medical equipment, with environmental, economic and social benefits. The project’s specific objectives are: Implementation of a new integrated management system for discarded medical equipment, in particular biomedical devices; Prevention of waste production in the medical sector; Correct management of medical waste, by means of the specific characterisation of medical WEEE; Donation of medical equipment accompanied by assistance and replacement of parts; Implementation of the project’s approach in Romania; and Organisation of a stakeholder’s forum (including associations of clinical engineers and biomedical technicians, WEEE and packing consortia, and representatives from the Ministry, the region and the province) to discuss proposals, new procedures and legislative changes.Expected results: Analysis of the state-of-the-art for medical equipment disposal, to highlight the critical nodes on which the entire integrated system and the totality of the objectives identified will be focused (with four case studies); Scientific research aimed at finding the correct characterisation of 15 electro-medical devices; 250 tonnes of healthcare waste managed; 300 electro-medical devices reprocessed, 100 components disassembled and 100 tonnes of equipment reprocessed; 80 institutions receiving donated equipment, 160 medical equipment devices donated and 100 pieces of healthcare furniture donated; 500 requests for information on the distribution of home healthcare equipment, 200 healthcare equipment devices distributed, and 50 small electro-medical devices distributed; 100 contacts with health centres, 150 pieces of medical equipment treated, 30 tonnes of waste avoided and 50 tonnes of waste treated; and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for three electro-medical devices.