Buildbase and Reconomy partner up to help the homeless this Christmas

Reconomy, the UK’s leading provider of outsourced resource management and recycling services and leading builder’s merchant, Buildbase, have worked together to support homeless charities this Christmas by donating over 90,000 vending machine drinks.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic safe working restrictions, vending machines have not been operational in Buildbase branches and they had stock of drinks, worth thousands of pounds, that needed to be used. Rather than have to eventually send the stock to anaerobic digestion or another form of disposal, Buildbase’s waste and resource management partner, Reconomy, helped them be creative and find a re-use solution that offered both environmental and social benefits.

Reconomy worked with their extensive network of partners and engaged Centrepoint,the UKs leading youth homelessness charity which supports around 15,000 homeless young people, and the charities that work with them, a year. They arranged for the stock to be collected by local charities, who can then provide hot drinks to those in need over the cold winter days and nights.

Lucy Marston, Facilities Coordinator at The Salvation Army, who received one of the donations, said: “We support men and women who are experiencing homelessness for a variety of reasons and always appreciate donations which help to make their lives a little better. Without the generosity of companies like Buildbase and Reconomy we would not be able to offer vital services”

Diane Crowe, Head of Social Value and Sustainability at Reconomy, said:
“This is a great example of the value that Reconomy can deliver in partnership with its customers, using our unrivalled supply chain relationships across the country. We were delighted to be able to help Buildbase on this project – with a goal of thinking differently to drive reuse of resources and also deliver social value. Support for homeless people is a fundamental aim of our Reconomy Social Value Programme (RSVP) and we are committed to helping our customers achieve their own sustainability goals”.

Suzie Godfrey, Head of Health and Safety at Buildbase, said:
“We were really pleased to be able to find a solution that offered help to homeless people in local areas around the UK. One of Buildbase’s core values is that we stand together and our people are proud of the part they play in protecting the environment and supporting our communities. We hope this donation makes a big difference for charities who are working so hard this winter”.