A Second Life for Pacemakers: Recycling with Purpose

When we think about recycling, our minds often go to paper, plastic, and aluminum cans—but what about pacemakers?

Each year, countless pacemakers are removed prior to cremation, a necessary step because the lithium batteries inside can react dangerously with the high heat. Funeral directors routinely retrieve these devices as part of our professional protocol, and many are returned to the manufacturer for disposal. But there’s another path—one that not only protects the environment but also saves lives.

Through a remarkable program at the University of Michigan called Project My Heart Your Heart, gently used pacemakers can be refurbished and provided to patients in need across the globe. In partnership with World Medical Relief, this initiative has been studying the lifespan and function of pacemakers and has proven that many still have years of use left after a patient’s death. These devices are cleaned, sterilized, and reprogrammed before being implanted in cardiac patients in developing countries who otherwise would not have access to this life-saving technology.

The environmental benefit is clear—keeping pacemakers out of landfills and incinerators—but the human impact is even greater. What would have been discarded becomes a second chance at life.

At Prout Funeral Home, we’re proud to be part of this meaningful cycle. A small act of goodwill—choosing to donate a loved one’s pacemaker—can ripple across continents.

Learn more about how pacemaker donation works and how you can participate by visiting:
🔗 Project My Heart Your Heart
🔗 World Medical Relief Pacemaker Program

Because sometimes, a broken heart can still help heal another.