Oxford Wood Recycling Ltd

What Oxford Wood Recycling Ltd does

Oxford Wood Recycling Ltd is an award-winning UK social enterprise and registered charity (Company No: 5467959; Charity No: 1178214) founded in 2004 and headquartered at Unit 4, Suffolk Way, Abingdon, Oxfordshire. The company's primary activities are commercial and domestic wood waste collection across Oxfordshire, West Berkshire, West Buckinghamshire, West Swindon, Aylesbury, and Basingstoke, priced at approximately £28.25–£30 per cubic yard — delivering 40%+ savings versus skip hire. Collected material is de-nailed and processed in-house, with roughly 20% reclaimed for resale and the remaining 80% chipped for biomass fuel.

The revenue model combines six streams: (1) wood waste collection services priced per cubic yard or per pallet, (2) retail sales of reclaimed timber (pallet wood, scaffold boards, live edge hardwood planks) at the Abingdon Wood Shop and online, (3) handmade reclaimed wood furniture (benches, bar stools, shelving, boot stores) priced £140–£245, (4) woodworking courses and workshops at £25–£90 per person, (5) woodworking tool hire, and (6) charitable donations including a Big Give Earth Raise matched-fundraising campaign. The integrated model channels collected wood directly into the retail and furniture operations, maximising reuse value and supporting the Wood to Work employment programme for people facing labour market barriers.

Oxford Wood Recycling serves a hybrid customer base: commercial enterprises (construction, manufacturing, demolition — including named customers Laing O'Rourke, Leadbitter Group, HR Wallingford, Modern Art Oxford), domestic households within a 25-mile radius, DIY and woodworking enthusiasts, and community members participating in the Community Shed and Caldecott inclusion programmes. Distribution combines the 7-day physical Wood Shop, an online e-commerce platform, delivery within 30 miles of Abingdon, and direct collection routes. The business is operated without VC/PE backing and is governed as a charity with trustees.

Name

Oxford Wood Recycling Ltd

Legal name

Oxford Wood Recycling Ltd

Website

https://oxfordwoodrecycling.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Oxford Wood Recycling Ltd is a UK social enterprise and registered charity operating commercial and domestic wood waste collection across Oxfordshire, plus an Abingdon Wood Shop retailing reclaimed timber and handmade furniture to construction firms, households, and DIY customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wood Recycling and Reclaimed Timber Services

NAICS

Waste Collection (56211), Lumber, Plywood, Millwork, and Wood Panel Merchant Wholesalers (42331), Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing (32192)

SIC

Retail-Lumber & Other Building Materials Dealers (5211), Lumber & Wood Products (No Furniture) (2400), Retail-Building Materials, Hardware, Garden Supply (5200)

akta.pro primary industry

Wood Waste Processing & Recycling (Mulch/Biomass) (BPALAJAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Wood Waste Processing & Recycling (Mulch, Biomass Feedstock) (EUAIAHAE)

Keywords

• Wood waste collection
• Reclaimed timber retail
• Recycled wood furniture
• Woodworking courses
• Skip alternative services

Headquarters

HQ city

Abingdon

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Waste Wood Collection Services: Charges for commercial and domestic wood waste collection services. Commercial collections use loose collection in caged vehicles with two operatives. Domestic collections use caged vehicles with friendly drivers. Provides waste audit with every invoice.
2. Wood Shop Retail Sales: Sale of reclaimed and locally sourced timber products including pallet wood, scaffold boards, live edge planks, and various hardwoods. Customers can purchase in-store or online. Wood is cut to customer specifications.
3. Reclaimed Wood Furniture: Sale of handmade reclaimed wood furniture including benches, shelving, seating, and custom pieces. Made from reclaimed pallet wood and scaffold boards. Available in various OSMO wood finishes.
4. Woodworking Courses: Revenue from woodwork skills courses and workshops including basic woodwork, whittling, family sessions, and technique workshops. Courses are bookable through GiveTap.
5. Tool Hire: Hiring out woodworking tools to customers who need equipment for DIY projects.
6. Donations and Fundraising: Charitable donations through Big Give Earth Raise campaign and general donations. Registered charity enabling tax-effective giving.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Oxford Wood Recycling Ltd collects commercial and domestic wood waste across Oxfordshire at prices reported as 40%+ cheaper than skip hire, processing it via de-nailing, reuse, and biomass chipping. It also runs a retail Wood Shop in Abingdon selling reclaimed timber, hand-made furniture, ironmongery, wood finishes and eco-refills, alongside woodworking courses, tool hire, Community Shed sessions, and a Christmas tree-recycling service.

Product overview

Oxford Wood Recycling Ltd operates as an award-winning social enterprise and registered charity offering a comprehensive wood recycling ecosystem. The core portfolio consists of three interconnected service pillars: (1) Wood Waste Collection Services — commercial and domestic waste wood collection covering Oxfordshire and surrounding areas, significantly undercutting skip costs by 40%+; (2) The Wood Shop — a physical retail location in Abingdon and online e-commerce platform selling reclaimed timber materials (pallet wood, scaffold boards, live edge planks), firewood, whiskey barrels, and OSMO wood finishes; and (3) Reclaimed Wood Furniture — handmade furniture collection including seating (Contemporary Bench, Cider Bench, Bar Stools), shelving, and storage solutions (Boot Store, Coat Racks, Welly Boot Racks). Supporting services include woodworking courses, Community Shed sessions, SESI eco-friendly refills, tool hire, and delivery. The company also operates charitable employment initiatives through Wood to Work, helping people with disabilities find employment. The integrated model maximises wood reuse — collected waste is de-nailed and cleaned by volunteers for resale in the Wood Shop, with unusable material sent for chipping to fuel biomass power stations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Commercial Wood Waste Collection Scheduled and ad-hoc collection of commercial wood, pallet and packaging waste across Oxfordshire, with a comprehensive waste audit to support corporate sustainability reporting and landfill diversion.
• Domestic Wood Waste Collection Domestic wood and timber waste collection service offered alongside the commercial collection, positioned as a low-cost alternative to skip hire.
• Reclaimed Timber and Materials (Wood Shop) Retail sale of reclaimed timber, scaffold boards, live edge planks, pallet wood, whiskey barrels, firewood and kindling at the Abingdon Wood Shop, with online shop and local delivery within 30 miles.
• Reclaimed Wood Furniture Hand-made reclaimed wood furniture range including the bench, shelving, seating, bar stool, welly boot rack, boot store and coat-and-hat-rack collections, sold in-store and online.
• Woodworking Courses and Community Shed Woodworking courses for adults and a Community Shed bench-hire programme for people with disabilities and the wider community to develop craft skills.
• Tool Hire Short-term hire of woodworking and workshop tools from the Abingdon Wood Shop for project use.
• Christmas Tree-cycling Service Annual collection-and-recycling service for real Christmas trees, routed through the Community Wood Recycling Network to be chipped into biomass.
• Ironmongery, Wood Finishes and SESI Eco-Refills Retail range of ironmongery, wood finishes, and SESI eco-friendly refill cleaning products sold alongside reclaimed timber and furniture in the Wood Shop.

Quantifiable outcome

• 40%+ savings on skip charges for wood waste collection
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Plan AidflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 22 April 2026Plan Aid serves as the funding champion for Oxford Wood Recycling's Big Give Earth Raise campaign (22nd-29th April). As champion, Plan Aid doubles all donations made through the campaign page up to £3,000 in total donations, maximizing community impact.
• Community Wood Recycling NetworkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOxford Wood Recycling is a member of the Community Wood Recycling network, which manages the National Builders Scheme for wood waste. The network coordinates wood recyclers across the UK through NCWRP in Brighton, enabling comprehensive coverage for wood waste management.
• SESI (Sustainable Earth Supplies)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSESI is an Oxfordshire-based social enterprise supplying sustainable detergents. Oxford Wood Recycling is a SESI stockist, selling washing up liquid, laundry detergent, fabric conditioner, hand soap, and all-purpose cleaner. Products are ethically sourced, vegan, cruelty-free, biodegradable, and affordable.
• JustHelpingminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOxford Wood Recycling joined JustHelping's Christmas Tree Recycling programme as a collector for Abingdon, Oxford, and South Oxfordshire areas. Teams collect pre-registered trees and shred them at the woodshop.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Veolia UK: UK arm of global waste management major. Competes for commercial wood waste collection at national scale with bundled waste services, but lacks Oxford Wood Recycling's social enterprise positioning and reclaimed timber retail.
• Biffa: One of the UK's largest waste management companies, listed on the LSE. Offers commercial wood waste collection as part of broader recycling and skip hire services, competing on scale and contract bundling rather than specialisation.
• Jewson: National builders' merchant selling lumber, sheet materials, and timber products through a UK branch network. Competes with the retail side of Oxford Wood Recycling on convenience and product range, but sells new rather than reclaimed timber.
• FCC Environment: UK waste management operator providing commercial and construction waste services including wood. Larger, broader portfolio than Oxford Wood Recycling, with skip hire and MRF infrastructure that competes on convenience.

Direct peers

• Salvo: UK directory and marketplace for reclaimed building materials including reclaimed timber. Comparable on the retail side of Oxford Wood Recycling's business, though Salvo is a marketplace rather than an operator.
• Brighton & Hove Wood Recycling Project: Fellow CWR Network member operating the same commercial wood collection plus reclaimed timber retail model in Sussex. Closest comparable in scale, mission, and revenue mix to Oxford Wood Recycling.
• Bristol Wood Recycling Project: CWR Network member providing wood waste collection and reclaimed timber retail in the Bristol area. Same social enterprise structure, same circular revenue model, different geography.
• HIPPO Waste: National skip bag and waste collection service that substitutes for skip hire — the primary alternative OWR positions against on price. Competes head-to-head for the same small and mid-market construction customer.
• Community Wood Recycling Network: UK-wide network of social enterprises that Oxford Wood Recycling is a member of. Operates the National Builders Scheme and coordinates wood waste collection across member organisations. Most directly comparable because it represents the same circular, community-led collection and resale model replicated nationally.
• Yorkshire Wood Recycling: Another CWR Network-affiliated social enterprise running commercial collections and a reclaimed wood shop in Yorkshire. Directly comparable model with similar customer segments and product mix.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/OxfordWood
• Facebookfacebook.com/OxfordWoodRecycling
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/oxfordwoodrecycling

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Oxford Wood Recycling Ltd