How recycling candles contributes to reducing landfill
UK consumers spend almost £1.9 billion on candles every year. This equates to every person buying an average of six candles annually. That’s a lot of candles, and a lot of wax.
What happens to that wax when a candle is spent? In most cases, it is put into landfill waste. And while certain types of wax take only a few months to biodegrade, others, notably petroleum based products, can take decades. At the same time, the production of new candle wax requires significant amounts of energy and resources.
So what if there was a way of reusing wax, instead? Recycling candle wax ultimately helps to conserve resources and reduce our environmental impact. This is where The Recycled Candle Company comes in.
How can wax be recycled?
Reusing wax isn’t just a case of melting it down and making new candles. There are many different types of wax, colours and fragrances which could easily lead to a murky mix resulting in unattractive and even unsafe candles.
The processes used by The Recycled Candle Company have been refined over a number of years. They include segregating, melting, filtering and testing. Different grades of wax are used for different purposes; the best for new candles whilst the lowest grade is used to make unusual, decorative firelighters.
Which candles can be recycled?
Candle wax can be paraffin, soy, beeswax and even coconut. All these types of wax can be recycled.
- Taper/pillar candles
The easiest type of candle to recycle; these are segregated by colour before being reused.
- Container candles
The majority of container candles are glass. Wax is extracted for reuse and the containers sent for recycling. The Recycled Candle Company is also looking at ways of reusing containers, which will work well when a corporate body donates a large amount of the same product.
- Tea lights
Although the amount of wax in a used tea light is often minimal, this can still be extracted and recycled. The aluminium casing is another recyclable material.
How are spent candles gathered for reuse?
The company takes donations from various sources, including:
- Hospitality venues: monthly collection route is provided to 57 London properties and occasional/ad hoc locations
- Places of worship
- Individuals who use recycling points around the country or send their spent candles by post
- Community collection points
- Kerbside recycling collection – the first is in York, managed by the Friends of St Nicholas Fields
- Corporate collaborations.
So what’s the impact on the environment and does it really make a difference?
Annually The Recycled Candle Company makes up to 60,000 candles each year, saving 40 tons of wax from going into landfill. In addition, by removing this material from the waste stream, there’s a hugely positive impact on the use of raw materials and the cost to the environment that virgin material and its processing has.
The concept is also a good example of how a circular economy can work in practice by contributing to an economic system based on the reuse and regeneration of materials and products, with the added bonus of providing employment opportunities.
Benefits in a nutshell
- Reduction in waste to landfill
- Conserving resources
- Promoting a circular economy
- Helping individuals, communities and organisations to meet green aims
- Ultimately, protecting the environment
We are all being encouraged to recycle as much as we can. But there are still many materials and products that cannot be added to recycling schemes. Independent initiatives like this, where the potential for reducing waste is not just identified but implemented, with a commercial focus that underpins a long-term opportunity.
To discuss how to donate wax, please contact: hello@recycledcandles.co.uk