Brighton and Hove Wood Recycling Project
Twelve years ago, Richard Mehmed was supposed to be enjoying a year off from a stressful sales job when he discovered that Brighton was landfilling around 6,000 tonnes of wood every year – much of it perfectly reusable or recyclable.
A committed environmentalist, Richard could not bear to see such appalling waste on such a huge scale, so he started sowing the seeds of what became one of the UK’s first successful community recycling organisations; Brighton and Hove Wood Recycling Project.
Every day, B&HWRP’s team rescues around one tonne of timber from rotting in landfill, and then they go on to make wonderful things from the wood. Their shop – The Wood Store – is full of interesting items, some made from ‘waste’ wood, some funky second-hand items, all kinds of unusual, historic and beautiful pieces – plus good reusable timber that is simply useful, practical, and cheap.
B&HWRP is not only environmentally-focussed, it also provides a huge resource for training and work experience for disadvantaged people, offering a supportive environment to learn new skills and develop confidence, empowering and enabling people and helping them move onto gainful employment.
B&HWRP has also blazed a trail in social enterprise by helping create an informal social franchise, inspiring and assisting in the formation of 25+ further Wood Recycling Projects across the country, all saving resources and creating jobs.
This all sounds like the work of a large well-funded charity, but amazingly, it’s not. B&HWRP has a small team of long-standing, highly committed staff who keep the business running self-sufficiently – with no outside grants or funding – purely by hard graft and unwavering self-belief.
The results: a non-profit green business that’s innovative, sustainable and highly productive; offering great benefits to the community, the economy and the environment.
12 years of very hard work and many 100s of tonnes of wood saved from landfill, 100s of trainee positions offered and supporting the local economy by recycling waste
What an amazing group of people – they work so hard and as a non-profit, it’s obvious that they aren’t doing it for the money or the glory! A fine business model for a new green social economy!
They represent what being a green business is all about. Not only through helping the environment but also through supporting the communities, B&H Wood Recycling Project demonstrates how valuable their business model is.
Hard working individuals dedicated to their jobs.
They are an inspiration for so many others across the country. Having visited from Glasgow some years ago their efforts are still very much in my mind. Brighton can be proud of another shining example of how to do the right thing!
A self-sustaining enterprise run by a small group of extremely hard working individuals addressing real need in the community. Recycling all manner of waste wood that would otherwise go to landfill and in the process supporting individuals and businesses in accessing otherwise unavailable or expensive resources from which individuals and groups can benefit. They are a major recycler in the Brighton and Hove area and transform what would otherwise be waste into either usable resources or works of art. Coupled with alltheir hard work on recycling and reducing waste, they also provide a vital community service in providing training and employment opportunities for disadvantaged members of society. Giving them opportunities to learn, to earn a living and to contribute to the community in which they live.
they have been going for more than 12 years. They pioneered collecting and reusing waste stuff from building sites and developed it in to a sustainable business that is copied thoughout the country. They also give work and training to disadvantaged people who can build up their work skills. They offer a great service to customers who can buy recycled and really helped put the area on the map as a place leading on green issues.
What a great service, well run and inspirational in its outlook and approach.
We need more businesses like this in Brighton and across the UK – ethical, professional, approachable and sustainable.
It’s such a simple idea, but perfectly executed. The yard’s a treasure trove and prices are realistic.
they are a fantastic non-profit organisation which helps to recycle lots of wood. they also make lots of really cute little bits and pieces from the wood which are great for gifts and all the people that work there are really friendly and really nice. we need more sustainable businesses like this!
The Brighton & Hove Wood Recycling Project does exactly what is says on the box. They collect waste wood from building sites and create items of furniture such as garden seats and planters. They are social entrepreneurs.
They provide a very usefull and efficient means for recycling for the construction industry, this means recycling material that would otherwise go straught to land fill. They also offer employment for people who may find it difficult to find work and for many a stepping stone back into work.As well as being realy great bunch of people.
I contacted B&H Wood Recycling Project to seek solutions for several hundred plywood boards no longer required at the Laing O’Rourke Pembury Hospital Redevelopment site. The boards had been reused as many times as possible and would be destined for recycling as wood chip if a re-use solution could not be found.
The B&H Wood Recycling Project arranged collection of the boards from site at the same cost as the skip rate alternative. The wood was collected in one visit, craned from a car park roof straight onto the Brighton team’s haulage vehicle.
The wood was delivered to the B&H Wood Recycling Project woodstore and within a month, nearly all of the material had been put to good use in a variety of community projects – from composting toilets at a nearby festival to entrance ramps for Link Romania’s charity Christmas ‘shoebox’ collection storage facility.
Benefits all round – for Laing O’Rourke, the collection proved fairly straight forward and at no extra cost to our normal skip rate; for B&H Wood Recycling Project, a valuable resource for the community and at a cost easily recouped through the sale of the ply at their recycled wood store. By finding a re-use solution for the boards, B&H Wood Recycling Project helped to secure a preferential waste management option according to the waste hierarchy.
It was following a visit to the Brighton & Hove Wood Recycling Project that we became inspired to start our own project in Essex, hence Woods Forever Timber Recycling Project was born in Essex.
We were particularly inspired by not only the fact that they have saved thousands of tonnes of wood from landfill, resulting in thousands of trees being saved – but were further impressed with the way in which they involved the local community by offering employment to people who would otherwise have had difficulty getting on to the employment ladder.
So to date, not only have they saved thousands of tonne of wood in sussex, but they are are partly responsible for the 315 tonnes of wood that we have recycled in Essex.
We are in no doubt that they should be nominated for, and deserve this award.
great example of a much needed practice
If this award is about recognising people who work really really hard for the environment then this group really should win. They work outside in all kinds of horrible weather collecting wet, dirty and heavy wood for recycling that would otherwise go into the bin and rot. They don’t get paid much, it’s really hard work and they have been going for 12 years without much recognition, maybe because it’s not very glamorous. But it’s brilliant work, and they make really nice things from the cleaned-up wood, and not expensive either!
the brighton & hove wood recycling project is excellant.
they offer a friendly and very professional service and cant find a better way then to recycle wood.
i have and will always use them for my wood as they offer so much from sheeting materials to wood pallets they cver the whole lot and they prices are very cheap as well.
i cant find a better way then for them to get this reward.
as a thank you onbehalf of all those who use them
Because they recycle wood when so much of it is wasted in landfill and they make beautiful artefacts from the wood they have reclaimed.
Fantastic project which eaches to many different people in our community
What a great place and what a worthwhile activity! I have a kitchen worktop made from 200 year old pine that used to be in a building in Brighton… how does that compare with formica! It doesnt!
such a great green business
A great shop with great staff and a superb ethos. There is too much waste in the world and these guys are doing so
something about and helping some vulnerable people get back on track on the way!!
they are great and Richard rocks!!
Because of the beautiful things they make with wood that would otherwise be dumped. Truly a green minded organisation!! Inspirational.
Because they were one of the first, are continualy successful and financially self sufficient.
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The Wood Recycling Project is inspirational for all sorts of reasons but mainly I think because they have demonstrated what can be done with a strong resolve. I know that it hasn’t been easy for them and many would have given in to the pressure of keeping such a project going. They are hero’s in my book and more than deserve any recognition that comes their way.
Surviving 12 years is an achievement but what really makes them sooo special is they keep getting better!