6 questions
…with a professional candle maker
1 What sparked your big idea? When I was a child, I was always making stuff in the family kitchen: jam, soap, jellies, candles. Then I had the idea to start melting down and reusing wax from old candles destined for the bin. Years later, we [Richard and co-founder Sargon Latchin, above right] turned it into a business.
2 Where do you get your wax from now? We work with local hotels and restaurants who are keen to reduce their waste. We collect their scrap candle wax and give it a new life.
3 Can anyone make candles from recycled wax? Yes, it’s amazing what you can create from stubs, tealights and votives. But it’s important to choose the right vessel for your candles. You must make sure the glass is heatsafe, otherwise it might shatter with the hot wax.
4 What about old teacups and vases? Candle containers have to not catch fire, leak or crack with heat. You have to be so careful; probably the best option is to reuse an old candle container.
5 Your favourite Christmas scents for candles? Spruce and winter spice, naturally, but one particular fragrance also has special associations: the gentle scent of moss reminds me of my mother’s handmade Christmas wreaths.
6 Can readers send their used candles to you? Absolutely. They can be dropped into our Exeter shop or popped in the post. We take any type of candle including tealights – we can recycle the aluminium from these, too.
FIND OUT MORE at therecycledcandlecompany.co.uk.