Want to Reuse Beeswax? Recycle It Instead!
You can reuse beeswax scraps, or you can recycle the beeswax, giving it new life as recycled beeswax candles that are donated to charitable organizations. It’s a win, win, WIN for our bee friends, the environment, and our community. Here’s how it works:
Those of us who are part of the natural bee product industry are hyperfocused on keeping the ecosystem strong and healthy. It’s been estimated that, to produce 1 lb. of beeswax, a honeybee needs to consume approximately 8 lbs. of honey. That’s a considerable effort! We want to be sure we utilize the resulting beeswax to its fullest.
However, what “bugged” us about our part was that ultimately—whether through burning beeswax candles or using beeswax in other creative ways—our customers were left with remnants. What to do, then?
You can reuse beeswax scraps in crafts and DIY projects or by making your very own recycled beeswax candles, but those projects require much more beeswax scraps than one family usually produces. You also need to be careful about contamination when you reuse beeswax scraps, whether making recycled beeswax candles, body products like lip balm, or crafts that may touch your food (including beeswax wraps).
As we considered better ways to close that gap, we realized that a beeswax recycling program could do just that and so much more.
Here at The Beeswax Co., we are always looking for new ways to get involved and give back to the community, whether it’s through educational events, workshops, speaking engagements or philanthropy. When customers and beekeepers who know the incredible efforts of the honeybee started returning their candle remnants in hopes that we could reuse the beeswax, it got us thinking.
We toyed with the idea of donatable recycled beeswax candles that we poured into baby-food jars and various other reused vessels. While we could find people to donate to, these candles didn’t quite meet the exceptional standards for which our hand-burnished artisan candles are known. So, we figured, why try and reinvent the wheel when we have a product people love?
We decided to reuse beeswax candle scraps by turning them into artisan-level recycled beeswax candles. The next step? Finding outstanding organizations doing good in and around our community and donating the candles to them. Viola! That’s how our recycled beeswax program got started. It’s the first of its kind in the U.S., and we’re so very proud of the impact it has already made.
How We Reuse Beeswax
To begin the process, our customers return their discarded beeswax to The Beeswax Co. We first weigh and document the beeswax, checking for impurities and looking for indications that the beeswax originated from us and is 100% pure. Once we collect a sizable amount, the scrap wax is slowly melted down and carefully cleaned. We then hand-pour each candle into our original candle molds and continue to follow our standard candle-making process, including the finishing touch: our custom hand burnishing.
Donation Spotlight: Foster Village
Our recycled beeswax candles have been donated to help raise funds for organizations like Foster Village, a remarkable Dripping Springs, Texas, organization that provides support and resources to foster families and caregivers.
One of our favorite resources from Foster Village is their Resource Centers, stocked with items to equip caregivers with the supplies they need to create a comfortable space for the children who often arrive with just the clothes on their backs. Project SOOTHe is part of this effort, providing therapeutic tools to help ease stress and trauma, including weighted blankets, swings and white noise machines.
If you’re local, you can get involved with Foster Village by volunteering individually or with a group. You can also give online or through the organization’s Amazon Wish List. And, certainly, if you’re a part of a foster, kinship, post-adopt or reunified family, find out how Foster Village can help. Even if you have all the supplies you need to provide a safe and comfortable home for a child, there’s always room for the organization’s hands-on and practical caregiver support.
Donation Spotlight: Sustainable Food Center (SFC)
We’ve also partnered with Sustainable Food Center (SFC), donating recycled beeswax candles to their Farm to Plate event. SFC is a sustainable food center that assists in creating a healthy community in the Austin area. SFC has numerous programs that support the local food system and help others receive nutritional education and access to healthy foods. Members of the community enjoy the SFC Farmers’ Markets that are open year-round, offering a variety of goods at three different Austin locations: The Triangle, Sunset Valley, and Guadalupe Street Downtown.
SFC’s Farm to Plate event has changed and grown over the years, from its beginnings at a tiny farmers’ market to its 10th annual event held at Barr Mansion, raising over $200,000. They hosted over 30 chefs who came to participate and demonstrate gratitude for local farmers who provided them with fresh produce for their kitchens. The event is a remarkable way to honor the farmers who produce the food cooked in the local Austin restaurants we know and love.
Supporting SFC is a wonderful way to assist Austin’s local food producers. Dining at restaurants participating in SFC’s Farm to Plate events and shopping at local SFC farmers’ markets are other easy (and delicious) ways to support local food producers year-round. Visit their website for more ways to give back to the community, as well as ways you can help in upcoming events.
Help Us Give Back
The Beeswax Co. takes great pride in utilizing sustainable resources so that even the smallest scraps of beeswax from our products are filtered and reused.
We are always interested in learning about new nonprofits or philanthropic organizations that might benefit from the Beeswax Co. Recycled Beeswax Program. Feel free to send any suggestions our way! And don’t forget to send us any leftover remnants of your pure beeswax candles to help support the bees and lighten their load while giving back at the same time. Every month, we receive up to 40 lbs. of beeswax scraps from amazing customers like you.
Once again, that address is:
The Beeswax Co.
Beeswax Recycling Program
120 Frog Pond Ln., Bldg. A-100
Dripping Springs, TX 78620