Out with the old…! SUEZ and Cornwall Council wetsuit initiative expands across Cornwall
SUEZ, Cornwall Council and The Wave Project are making waves with their new initiative to give pre-loved wetsuits and neoprene items a second lease of life. After the success of the initial pilot in Newquay and St Erth, we are delighted to expand the initiative to include sites in Bude, St Austell, Falmouth and United Downs.
Dedicated bins are in place ready to collect a swell of neoprene items which will be taken to The Wave Project’s HQ in Newquay. These items will then be carefully cleaned and repaired before being sold at affordable prices at our shop on Newquay high street.
It’s estimated that on average 380 tonnes of wetsuits are thrown away and end up in energy recovery or landfill in the UK each year – this is roughly the equivalent weight of 50 Minke Whales. As a global population, we are currently consuming three planet’s worth of resources – we need to rethink our relationship with material things and do more than just recycle.
Everything we consume has an impact on our environment, so to conserve the earth’s natural resources, we need to consume less overall. We also need to think about repairing and reusing items instead of replacing them, to unlock the huge potential in so many of the things we throw away.
This collaboration with Suez and Cornwall Council will help in reducing Cornwall’s waste and raise funds to support more young people through surf therapy programmes at The Wave Project.
Chris Lynn, General Manager for SUEZ recycling and recovery UK in Cornwall, said: “Through this collaboration, we are not only helping to reduce waste, but we are also supporting Cornwall’s young people. At SUEZ, as part of our triple bottom line approach, we look for ways our services can enhance the environment and the communities we serve. We are thrilled to have seas-ed the opportunity to work with The Wave Project in their mission to transform lives through surf therapy”.
Joe Taylor, Founder & CEO for The Wave Project, said: “We are super excited to be working on this innovative project with SUEZ and Cornwall Council. It is a great example of partnership working across all three sectors leading to positive benefits for people and planet. We would encourage local surfers to make use of the wetsuit donation bins so we can enable them to be used again by others, reducing tonnes of waste in the process. By working together, we can all make a big difference for our communities, reduce our carbon footprint, and bring the joy of surfing to more people.”
Councillor Carol Mould, Cornwall Portfolio Holder for Neighbourhoods, said “This is a great initiative to support our residents in increasing their recycling, reducing waste and supporting a thriving and sustainable Cornwall. We’re pleased to be able to help The Wave Project and the young people it supports through this new scheme.”