DM Hay Candle Recycling Service

Recycle your used candles for just £2.95 — it’s that simple!

DM Hay has been helping churches recycle their used candles for years, and we’ve now made the process simpler, faster, and more affordable than ever before.

How the Service Works

  1. When you add a candle product to your order click on the button 'Add Recycling Service'. You only need to select this once
  2. The recycling service will be added to your shopping cart
  3. We’ll include a Royal Mail returns label with your order
  4. Sort and bag your candles by type
  5. Reuse the box and packaging we send your order in to pack 5kg of used candles
  6. Take a photo of the open box and email to info@dmhay.co.uk and we will double check the candles are suitable for recycling (we want to avoid wasted journeys)
  7. Attach the label and drop it off at your local Post Office or parcel box at your convenience
  8. We handle the rest, giving your used candles a new life in sustainable church products.

Simple. Convenient. Affordable.

What Is Suitable for Recycling

We can accept most solid, uncontainerised church candles, including altar candles, votive or vigil candles (not in glass or metal), paschal and processional candles, and pillar candles.

Please ensure candles are free from packaging, fragrance, and colour, and sorted by type.

What Is Unsuitable for Recycling

Some items are unsuitable due to contamination or incompatibility, including candles in glass or metal holders such as sanctuary lights and tealights, coloured or Advent candles, vegetable wax candles (soya, palm, rapeseed), and wet, soiled, or mixed scraps containing non-wax materials.

Linking Purchases with Recycling

Many of us will remember a time when nothing was wasted. Bottles were returned, paper was saved, and even the smallest scraps found another use. That same practical spirit guides our Candle Recycling Service.

By linking recycling directly to your candle purchases, we’re simply returning to that good old-fashioned common sense — using one journey instead of two, a used box rather than a new one, and keeping costs down for everyone.

It means that when you've accumulated 5kg of used candles, you can simply include the recycling service at the same time as placing your order. We’ll send you a prepaid Royal Mail label, and you can use your original delivery box to return the used candles at your convenience.

This small change helps us:

  • Share the real cost of collection, keeping it affordable.
  • Avoid unnecessary courier miles by combining deliveries and returns.
  • Encourage genuine reuse — turning what once was waste back into something useful.
  • Keep the service simple and sustainable for the long term.
  • It’s a straightforward, thoughtful way of doing things — and a reminder that the values we grew up with still make the best sense today.

Our Next Step: The Classic Eco Range

We’re now incorporating recycled wax into a new range of altar candles, blending it with beeswax to create our Classic Eco Range — handcrafted, sustainable, and made to the same high standard you expect from DM Hay.

Together, we’re reducing church waste and caring for creation — one candle at a time.

Background

At DM Hay, we believe the old wisdom still holds true: “Waste not, want not.”

For generations, this simple phrase reminded families and communities to value what they had, to make it last, and to avoid needless waste. It’s a principle that shaped a more resourceful, responsible way of living — and it’s never been more relevant.

DM Hay's Candle Recycling Service is built on that very foundation. It’s not the easiest route, and currently, it’s not the cheapest either. At present, recycling wax costs more than buying new. The process involves manual labour, collection logistics, and energy, making it more expensive to repurpose used candles than to buy fresh wax.

But here’s the difference:  
We firmly believe that with the right processes, collaboration, and commitment, recycling can be developed to cost less than producing new. That’s our long-term goal — to prove that doing the right thing doesn’t have to come at a premium.

This service isn’t just about cost. It’s about conviction:

- It’s about stewardship: caring for creation and using resources wisely  
- It’s about character: choosing responsibility over convenience  
- It’s about community: encouraging churches to work together toward a shared goal  
- And it’s about tradition: honouring the values of thrift, prudence, and integrity that many of us were raised on

We see wax not as waste, but as a valuable raw material — something that, with care and effort, can be reprocessed into high-quality candles that serve the Church once again.

What We’ve Learned So Far

We embarked on this journey with no roadmap — just a conviction that it was the right thing to do. A few years on, we've learned a lot:

1. Many Churches Want to Recycle, But Lack Access  
Most churches share our desire to recycle, but don’t have access to a scheme that is affordable or practical.

2. We’ve Built a Viable Process  
Through hands-on learning, we’ve developed an efficient system for sorting, cleaning, and remoulding wax into consistent, high-quality candles.

3. The Two Biggest Costs Are Labour and Collection  
Manual processing and transport are by far the largest expenses in the recycling chain.

4. Few Sustainable Alternatives Exist
The market is saturated with low-cost paraffin options. Many churches aren’t aware that better alternatives are available.

5. Education Encourages Participation  
Helping churches understand the environmental and spiritual value of recycling has led to greater engagement.

6. Simplicity Is Key to Participation
Schemes must be clear and manageable. Over-complication reduces uptake.

Putting Learning Into Action

Based on what we've learned, we are now making several practical changes to make DM Hay's Candle Recycling Service more effective:

1. Reducing Collection Costs
We have set a target collection quantity of 5kg. This is a good sized quantity and it is practical too because when it is packaged it will fit into a Royal Mail parcel box or it can be dropped off at your local post office, whichever is more convenient. 

2. Improving Sorting and Preparation
Churches are now encouraged to pre-sort their used candles, separating different candle types, and avoiding excessively soiled candles. Cleaner inputs mean less labour for us and lower overall processing costs.

3. Why Recycling Is Linked to Purchases

To keep our recycling scheme simple, fair, and environmentally responsible, the Candle Recycling Service is available as an add-on to candle purchases rather than as a standalone collection.

This means your prepaid Royal Mail return label is included with your order, saving unnecessary deliveries and reducing our collective carbon footprint. It also helps us manage costs more effectively — you pay a £2.95 contribution, and we cover the rest — ensuring the service remains viable.

By linking recycling to purchases, we can:

  • Eliminate separate courier trips
  • Reuse the candle delivery box for returns
  • Prioritise genuine wax recovery from churches actively using our candles
  • Keep the service affordable for everyone
  • Together these changes make the scheme simpler for customers and more sustainable for the planet.

How DM Hay's Candle Recycling Service Works

What Is Suitable for Recycling

We accept most types of solid, uncontainerised church candles, including:
- Altar candles
- Vigil candles
- Paschal candles
- Processional candles
- Votive candles (loose, not in holders)
- Pillar candles

These should be free from packaging, fragrance, and colour, and sorted by type.

What Is Unsuitable for Recycling

Certain items cannot be recycled because they are proving too expensive to process, or due to contamination or material incompatibility, for example

- Containerised candles (e.g. sanctuary lights, tealights, votive lights in glass or metal holders)
- Candles made from vegetable waxes (e.g. soya, palm, rapeseed)
- Advent candles and coloured candles (due to the pigments used and their effect on wax quality)
- Candles that are excessively soiled, wet, or mixed with non-wax materials (e.g. plastic, foil, or metal holders) or small candle pieces or scraps

Packaging and Preparing for Collection

1. Sort candles by type and package in clear plastic bags.
2. Place bagged candles into a sturdy cardboard box.
3. Write the weight of the box clearly on its side.
4. Take a photo of the open box showing its contents.

Returning your Used Candles

5. Email info@dmhay.co.uk with the weight of the box and a photo of the open box (JPEG or PDF) - we will check the candles are suitable for recycling and advise you accordingly
6. Ensure the candles are securely contained within the plastic bag/s and box
7. Attach then prepaid label to the box and drop if off at your local post office or nearest Parcel Post Box or parcel locker. Click on the following link to find your nearest location https://www.royalmail.com/services-near-you#

Simple. Practical. Rewarding.

Don’t let your used candles go to waste — or end up in landfill.
Work with DM Hay to reduce church waste and support more sustainable worship.

History Behind the Service

DM Hay's Candle Recycling Service was born out of a deep-rooted concern for waste — especially waste of fossil fuel-based materials — and a desire to support churches in lowering their environmental impact.

Why We Started

1. A Dislike of Waste - Most altar candles are 90% paraffin wax, a fossil fuel product. Discarding this material felt wrong both environmentally and morally.

2. Supporting the Church’s Role in Carbon Reduction - Churches play an important part in leading by example. Many of our customers want to reduce their carbon footprint, and we wanted to help.

3. Packaging Wasn’t Enough - While some candle manufacturers began switching to more eco-friendly packaging, we felt that focusing solely on packaging was missing the bigger picture. Altar candles, vigil lights, and other church candles remain predominantly composed of paraffin wax (typically over 90%) and plastic elements, both of which are fossil fuel-based. In our view, changing the outer packaging without addressing the candle itself risked being a token gesture, rather than a meaningful step towards sustainability.

What We've Learnt

We started with no experience. Through investment, experimentation, and commitment, we developed techniques and a dedicated facility to reclaim and repurpose candle wax. Today, we offer a nationwide service helping churches reduce waste and embrace a more sustainable path.

If you're in the area, you are welcome to drop off wax directly at our facility at:  
7 Swallow Units, Alphinbrook Road, Marsh Barton Trading Estate, Exeter EX2 8QF (for local churches we are next to Marsh Barton Railway Station)