Recycled Hardwood Soap Dishes from Non Plastic Beach
Recycled Hardwood Soap Dishes from Non Plastic Beach
We have just put our new two bar Kon-Teaky and Recycled Iroko soap decks live on the site, ready for you to purchase. These are both made from wood that has been taken out of buildings that are being demolished, with the Iroko coming from my father’s old Biology lab and the Teak from Oxford Wood Recycling.
Both soap dishes have been made to accommodate a shampoo and conditioner bar side-by side and are appreciably larger than our current Ocean Waves and River Ripples soap savers, which are made from Hemu Wood. The new soap decks are also made from durable tropical hardwoods, with Iroko being a Class 2 wood, which is suitable for outdoor use for 15-25 years and Teak being a class 1 wood with a lifespan of over 25 years outside. In fact, the Teak wood was so hard that we had to pay an additional fee for processing it to cover tool wear!
The Teak we used came from Oxford Wood Recycling, which is an award winning social enterprise is based in Abingdon, not far from Non Plastic Beach HQ. Established in 2005 OWR was founded to address sustainability issues around wood waste management in the UK, whilst providing employment opportunities for people facing disadvantages, such as disability, to entering the workplace.
OWR is one of co-founder Gareth's favourite places to visit and several projects in our home and a very large portion of the wood (recycled scaffold planks, pallet wood and plywood) for the Non Plastic Beach HQ building was sourced from there.
OWR is struggling for funds at the moment with well over 90% of their funding coming from its shop. So if you know someone who is close to this oasis of historic, old and useful wood then why not buy a gift voucher for them to keep this valuable social enterprise going. For more information on Oxford Wood Recycling visit HERE
The Iroko soap dishes reuse wood that was saved from the demolition of co-founder Gareth’s Dad’s Biology lab, at Sir Roger Manwood’s school in Kent. Destined for the skip this wood was saved and reused to make a lab at Sandwich Bay Bird Oberservatory Trust and some furniture. The remainder sat unused in their garage for 20 years until it was upcycled for this project.
Both dishes are 120mm by 65 mm and were made by a craftsman called Keith who lives in the same village as Gareth and Nicola. The logo was then added by a laser engraving specialist, who is in the next village across the Thames, minimising the carbon emissions used in recycling these beautiful woods.
Kon-Teaky Soap Deck HERE
Recycled Iroko Soap Saver HERE
