Charities offered free of charge low energy lighting equipment by industry body

A Lighting industry body has set up a system that will allow charities to request free of charge light fittings.

The Recolight Reuse Hub is intended to connect donors of unwanted lighting products with potential recipients – including charities.  The offers include brand new products, and also some that are used but still usable. Most are LED technology to reduce energy costs.  And in some cases, offers may include hundred of identical light fittings allowing a charity to replace all its lights with newer, low energy products.

Currently, there are considerable volumes of new and used lighting products that are needlessly recycled when they could be reused. Some are in very good condition before removal and therefore a lot of the value and embedded carbon is lost if they are recycled.

Recolight want to make it as easy as possible for companies to hand over surplus and used products to third-parties, who can put them to good use. The Recolight Reuse Hub is a new digital marketplace. It is the first of its kind to facilitate the donation of new and used lighting products and equipment for reuse and remanufacture.

A Reuse Hub for Lighting

The Donor makes their product available on the hub. This may be unused, unsold lighting stock, and used but reusable lighting equipment that is suitable for reuse or remanufacture.

Registered recipients & remanufacturers are notified that stock is available. Recipient organisations can apply to receive new and or used products and batches of products. A recipient for reusable lighting stock can be charities, not-for-profit organisations, schools, hospitals, and more.

The Reuse Hub is currently free of charge for both donors and recipients. It includes a template agreement between both parties, that clearly limits the liability of donors, to de-risk the process.

Francesca Cameron, Membership Coordinator at Recolight, and project manager of the new platform said:

“Recolight are thrilled to be launching this new platform. This is intended to become a vital way of avoiding waste, reducing unnecessary recycling, stimulating reuse, and responding to the climate emergency.”

Recolight CEO Nigel Harvey added:

“At Recolight, we recycle, but as we move towards a Circular Economy model, recycling is not always the best solution. We hope that the Reuse Hub will be a real gamechanger.  It shows our commitment to encourage and facilitate reuse in the lighting industry.  We hope it will help avoid unnecessary recycling and ensure retention of more embedded carbon.”

Register as a recipient at www.recolight.co.uk/reuse-hub/