Recolight’s re-use website wins top award

A Recolight web platform which matches donors of surplus and used luminaires with recipients has won a Build Back Better Award for its contribution to sustainability.

Circular Place, an online luminaire exchange designed to prevent new, nearly new and pre-used luminaires from being recycled or ending up in landfill, was awarded both a coveted Build Back Better Platinum rating and a Build Back Better Green rating.

The site matches donors – such as real estate developers, electrical, fit-out and waste contractors, and commercial property tenants –

with recipients including organisations and businesses opting for their own reasons – cost, sustainability etc – to install pre-used lighting.

Another key target is the growing number of specialist remanufacturers who will recondition, upgrade, test, warranty and market the luminaires.

A particular focus will be luminaires used in so-called generic Cat A fit-outs, installations of lighting, ceilings and carpeting designed to provide a minimum workable space and help the letting agent to sell the lease. These luminaires – often barely used – frequently end us in a skip as waste.

It’s estimated that around 100,000 luminaires – many in re-usable condition – are removed from buildings in the UK every week.

Recolight currently collects over 1,000 tonnes of light fittings annually. Many are fluorescent fittings with large numbers of identical fittings removed. Currently, virtually none is reused.

Some are in very good condition before removal but much of the value is destroyed by recycling. ‘This is the reason Recolight challenged itself with the question: Can we change that?’, says Recolight’s collections development coordinator Francesca Cameron, who launched the initiative at the Remanufacturing Lighting conference in London this month. ‘As a team we’re passionate about what we can do to mitigate the climate crisis and we believe that Circular Place is a key part of that.’

• Francesca Cameron of Recolight will discuss Circular Place in a special Recolight webinar entitled Making Cat A fit-outs sustainable at 11am on Thursday 18 May 2023. More info HERE.

• Don’t miss Circular Lighting Live 2023, Recolight’s flagship conference and exhibition taking place on Thursday 21 September 2023 at the Royal College of Physicians in London. Free to specifiers, Circular Lighting Live 2023 will feature leading experts, specifiers and policy makers who will share their insights into forthcoming standards and legislation, emerging technologies and new business models. For 2023, the organisers have moved to a bigger venue with more expansive exhibition floor and included a dedicated track for lighting designers. More info: www.circularlighting.live