Charity Wetsuit Recycling Scheme | Cornwall Business

The Wave Project is working with waste management company Suez to launch a pioneering initiative to recycle Cornwall’s mountain of discarded wetsuits.

The wetsuit reuse scheme aims to address the estimated 380 tonnes of non-recyclable wetsuits generated each year. With over 50% of this waste originating in Cornwall, the Duchy has become something of a wetsuit graveyard.

As part of the scheme, which received £116,000 of funding from the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Good Growth Programme, dedicated costume recycling bins will be placed at Cornwall Council’s household waste recycling centres, run by Suez.

Discarded suits are collected and transported to a new repair shop in Newquay, where a team will clean and, if necessary, repair the suits for resale at the charity shop.

Any unrepairable costumes will be recycled into new products such as bags, cushions and mats.

If successful, The Wave Project and Suez hope to roll out similar programs nationwide, preventing tons of non-recyclable waste from ending up in landfills or polluting the oceans.

All profits will fund charity programs. Surf therapy in particular has become an established and evidence-based form of therapeutic support for both mental and physical health.

Wave Project CEO Ramon Van de Velde said: “The Wave Project improves the health and wellbeing of children across the UK with surf therapy and the healing powers of the ocean.

“This much-loved clothing scheme not only raises vital funds to enable the charity to help more children. It also makes the sea more accessible to people who can’t otherwise afford wetsuits, and of course removes neoprene from the waste cycle. This really is a win-win. We are really grateful to the government’s Good Growth Fund and Suez for providing the funding to get this project off the ground. If the Cornwall pilot proves successful, we hope to roll it out nationally.”