News / Bristol Wood Recycling Project
Bristol Wood Recycling Project celebrates 20th anniversary
Green Party co-leader and Bristol Central general election candidate Carla Denyer has helped to celebrate 20 years of Bristol Wood Recycling Project as a “cultural landmark” in our city’s sustainability journey.
The staff and volunteers at BWRP in St Phillip’s rescue, reuse and give new life to discarded wood.
The co-operative began on the former sorting office site on Cattle Market Road before moving to their current home on William Street opposite Good Chemistry brewery and taproom in 2018.
is needed now More than ever
BWRP co-founder Ben Moss said that the “ideas for how we can continue feel as fresh and as vibrant as they ever did”.
Moss said: “We’re looking forward to what the next 20 years might hold, as our way of doing things becomes ever more important in these times of great change.”
BWRP co-director and volunteer coordinator, Ian Coles, said it was “remarkable” that the business and social enterprise has been able to survive through all the odds.
“We started off in a brownfield site, with a peppercorn rent from Bristol City Council,” Coles said.
“To be here, 20 years later having survived a worldwide financial crash, a worldwide pandemic and worldwide economic changes, with less space available for the kind of work we do.
“And to now own this building, I think is remarkable success.”
Carla Denyer with the co-founder of BWRP co-founder Ben Moss at their William Street site
Denyer’s association with BWRP started more than a decade ago, when she cycled in one day after work as a “long time, big fan” of the co-operative.
She said that they do “such brilliant work and it is such a great example of the circular economy, making sure that things don’t go to waste”.
“It’s a social enterprise, as well as running as a business. Those are business models that the Green Party really supports, and encourages to play a larger role in our economy…
“These are the kind of alternative models that I’ve been involved with in the city.
“Bristol is full of people like yourselves, who are not just signing petitions to your MP and asking them to change the laws and the economy, nationally; but are taking things into their own hands.”
Benches sourced from We The Curious are currently in the BWRP yard, as the team decide on innovative ways to re-use them
All photos: Karen Johnson
Read next:
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
