Luminaire reuse web portal goes live in U.K.

A U.K. online marketplace that facilitates the reuse and remanufacturing of LED luminaires has now launched, following a slight delay in which it changed its name to Reuse Hub from the originally planned Circular Place.

Reuse Hub matches buyers, sellers, and reconditioners of used gear. A commercial user that is stripping out lights can tap the portal to find a business that will be able to use them, typically involving a third-party reconditioner.

Croydon, England–based lighting sustainability champion Recolight announced the operation last April, calling it Circular Place, and targeting June as a go-live date, which then slipped to a planned July launch. July also slipped as Recolight continued rejigging the system to add the reuse feature and also worked on the name change.

Recolight has worked with Madrid-based electronics recycling outfit Ambilamp to develop it, basing it on an existing Ambilamp system. Ambilamp already runs a recycling marketplace in Spain called Circular Place. Recolight decided to change the name of the British version in order to avoid confusion, a Recolight spokesperson told LEDs Magazine.

“Circular Place is the system we use in the background, but we’ve spent months updating (it), to be specific to lighting — offering donation of lighting for reuse and remanufacture,” the spokesperson said.

A major difference between the British and Spanish versions is that the U.K.’s Reuse Hub accommodates end users. Spain’s Circular Place deals only with surplus goods among vendors and distributors. Reuse Hub relates only to lighting, while Spain’s Circular Place deals with other types of electronic equipment.

“At Recolight, we recycle, but as we move towards a circular economy model, recycling is not always the best solution,” said Recolight CEO Nigel Harvey. “We hope that the Reuse Hub will be a real game changer. It shows our commitment to encourage and facilitate reuse in the lighting industry. We hope it will help avoid unnecessary recycling and ensure retention of more embedded carbon.”

“This is intended to become a vital way of avoiding waste, reducing unnecessary recycling, stimulating reuse, and responding to the climate emergency,” noted Recolight membership coordinator Francesco Cameron, who is the project manager for Reuse Hub.

Both Recolight and Ambilamp are not-for-profit organizations.

MARK HALPER is a contributing editor for LEDs Magazine, and an energy, technology, and business journalist ([email protected]).