Going green from heel to toe: What it's like to be a cobbler

Since taking over his shoe repair business in Bewdley four years ago, Brynn Hazelwood has embraced many eco-friendly practices.

They have included providing the local community with a solution when it comes to some of the hard-to recycle items we use every day.

He runs a number of recycling schemes where customers can drop off plastic packaging and other items to be collected and processed into new materials, which can then be used for a wide variety of purposes.

Not only has this helped to prevent these items from ending up in landfill, but it has also raised money for a number of local good causes.

"It started three years ago when someone approached me to ask if I could have a recycling box for crisp packets in the shop. People could bring in their empty crisp packets to be recycled and raise money for charity.

"It really took off and brought a different type of customer into the shop," explains Brynn, who offers a wide range traditional services such as shoe and watch repairs, key cutting and engraving.

Realising there was a demand for more recycling options, the shop in Load Street began collecting a wider range of items as well as stocking eco-friendly cleaning products and refills.

There are now more than 20 different recycling schemes running at The Green Cobbler including collections for Pringles tubes; plastic bread bags; bakery plastic packaging; tin foil and laundry capsules/pods packaging.

There also collection bins for items such as Lenor tumble dryer sheets; plastic air freshener containers; flexible dishwashing tablet packaging; confectionary bags and wrappers; biscuit and cake wrappers; and pouches for ground coffee and beans.

The items are sent to TerraCycle, which works with brands, retailers, and other stakeholders who fund the recycling process.

It offers different recycling schemes, free of charge, which are sponsored by companies such as Warburtons, Carex and Taylors of Harrogate.

Every package received by TerraCycle is weighed and checked and the materials are sorted based on their characteristics and composition before being cleaned and processed.

Plastics are the largest category of material collected through the recycling programmes and they are either shredded or ground before being melted and reformatted into pellets, flakes, or powders.

These new materials are then sold to manufacturing companies who complete the recycling journey by using them to make the likes of outdoor furniture and decking, plastic shipping pallets, watering cans, storage containers and bins and playground surface covers.

"They turn what is rubbish to you and I into new products like garden furniture. It's helping the environment and I get allocated points, which I can then convert into money for the different charities. It's a win-win situation," explains Brynn.

The Green Cobbler also accepts old shoes, batteries, ink cartridges, spectacles, stamps, old or foreign currency, mobile phones, old or broken jewellery and games consoles in any condition for recycling.

Over the past three years, the recycling scheme has raised around £4,000, which has been distributed between Mentor Link, Birmingham Children's Hospital, Newbridge Cat Rescue, Guide Dogs, Mary Stevens Hospice, MS Society and the Emily Jordan Foundation.

"It's been really successful, it's amazing how well it's done. People have really taken it into their heart. Bewdley is very community-minded and people love to do what they can for the community.

"I think people are much more aware than they were 10 years ago about recycling, repairing and reusing," says Brynn.

The recycling schemes have proven so popular that The Green Cobbler relocated to bigger premises in January this year.

"The eco-side of the business has taken off so well that I needed more space," he explains.

Taking over the business had been a learning curve for Brynn but he says he has been relishing every moment.

"My background is in finance but I just wanted a complete change, I was fed of the pressure of managing projects. I managed to get redundancy and the idea of running a shop appealed to me. I'm learning every day and I've learned the skills I need on the job," he tells Weekend.

He has also become more passionate about living in a greener and more sustainable way and is keen to help other people to do the same.

"The shoe repair business is the original environmentally friendly business. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, a pair of shoes will end up in the bin.

"If someone buys a pair of boots and just has them repaired once, that has a massive impact on the environment.

"Every pair of shoes we repair, is a pair of shoes that doesn't end up going into landfill. I'm very passionate about, it's definitely close to my heart."

*More information about the recycling schemes and the items that be dropped off can be found at www.thegreencobbler.co.uk