Circular Economy in Action: How UpCandle Supports Communities & Reduces Waste

By Karen Platt, Co-Founder, CandleXchange

Every year, approximately 4 million candles are sold in Australia. When the wax runs out, the glass jars — beautifully crafted, perfectly functional — are tossed in the bin. Most cannot be processed by standard recycling facilities. They go to landfill.

CandleXchange built the UpCandle program to stop that cycle. Through our Return & Swap model, used candle containers are collected, cleaned, and refilled — not to be resold, but to be donated to Australians who need them most. What starts as an empty jar on your shelf becomes a candle in the home of a domestic violence survivor rebuilding her life, or a refugee family moving into their first permanent home in Australia.

To date, the UpCandle program has donated more than 4,200 candles and diverted over 5,500 containers from landfill. That number grows every week.

What Is the UpCandle Program?

UpCandle is CandleXchange's circular giving initiative. The concept is straightforward: no candle container should end its life in a bin when it can be cleaned, refilled, and given a second purpose.

How It Works

Customers drop off their used candle containers — from any brand, not just CandleXchange — at our Brookvale studio or through participating collection points. Our team cleans each jar, assesses its condition, and refills it with natural oil candles made from 100% soy wax. The finished candles are then donated, free of charge, to partner organisations supporting people in crisis. No jar goes to waste, and no donation costs the recipient a cent.

For customers who want to participate from home, our Return & Swap program lets you return your CandleXchange container by post or in store, choose a new fragrance, and save 30% on your next candle. Every swap saves up to 1 kilogram of glass from landfill.

The Impact So Far

The numbers behind UpCandle tell a clear story about what circular design can achieve at a community level. Since the program launched, CandleXchange has:

• Donated more than 4,200 candles to Australians in crisis
• Diverted more than 5,500 containers from landfill
• Saved an estimated 7 tonnes of glass waste
• Partnered with community organisations across New South Wales

These are not just sustainability metrics. Each candle represents a family in transition, a person starting over, a home being made warm for the first time in a long time. You can learn more about the program's reach on our Social Impact page.

Who Receives UpCandle Donations?

CandleXchange partners with community organisations that support vulnerable Australians — primarily women and families escaping domestic violence, and refugees building new lives in Australia. These organisations include:

ReLove Free Store

ReLove operates a free store for people in crisis, where clients can choose furniture and homewares to furnish their new home with agency and dignity. UpCandle candles sit alongside ReLove's homewares as a symbol of that fresh start — and as ReLove's own team has shared, each candle brings a sense of warmth and peace to clients navigating a significant life change.

Northern Beaches Women's Shelter

The Northern Beaches Women's Shelter provides emergency and transitional accommodation for women and children experiencing domestic violence. Moving into a new space after crisis can feel cold and uncertain. UpCandle donations help transform those spaces into something warmer — a small but meaningful gesture that says comfort matters, and people care about your fresh start.

Why Reuse Matters More Than Recycling Alone

Glass is technically recyclable, but candle jars rarely make it through the process. Wax residue, labels, and mixed-material lids mean most councils reject them at kerbside collection. Even when they do reach a recycling facility, the energy cost of melting and reforming glass is significant.

Reuse bypasses all of that. When a container is cleaned and refilled, it retains its full material value with almost no energy input. The jar that held your Ocean Breeze candle becomes a new candle within weeks — without being ground down, melted, or transported across the country for reprocessing.

This is the core principle behind CandleXchange's circular economy model. Our soy candles are made to last, in containers designed to be reused many times. When you choose CandleXchange, you choose a product built to stay in use — not to end up in a bin.

How Businesses Can Participate in UpCandle

The UpCandle program is not just for individual candle lovers. Businesses, offices, hotels, and event spaces accumulate dozens of empty candle containers each year. Partnering with CandleXchange means those containers are collected and converted into community donations — giving your sustainability story a direct, measurable social outcome.

Our Business Solutions team can arrange collection partnerships for corporate clients. Your organisation's contribution can be tracked and reflected in the donation tally — a genuine ESG outcome you can report on. Donate an UpCandle directly to get started, or contact us to discuss a corporate collection arrangement.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I return any brand's candle container, not just CandleXchange jars?

Yes. The UpCandle program accepts containers from any candle brand, provided the glass is intact. Bring them to our Brookvale studio or check our website for current collection points near you.

What happens to my container after I return it?

Each returned container is cleaned, inspected, and refilled with natural oil soy candles. Containers in good condition become UpCandle donations for people in crisis. Those that have reached the end of their useful life are responsibly disposed of — never sent to landfill if it can be avoided.

Can my business set up a regular UpCandle collection?

Absolutely. We work with offices, hotels, wellness studios, and event venues to establish regular container collection arrangements. Reach out through our Business Solutions page to discuss what a partnership could look like for your organisation.