No. 2 March 1998
 

We have had a great start! In the last four weeks, more than five tonnes of wood - originally destined for dumping - has been salvaged, sorted and earmarked for sale or for turning into a variety of wood products. More than 30 calls from businesses and members of the public wanting to give us timber have been received, and new markets/outlets for our wood are now being discussed. More details below.
 

Workshop Facility Magpie, Brighton's leading recycling organisation, have very generously given the Project the use of their well-equipped workshop. This means we can now turn much more of our stored timber into useful items for sale and reclaim even more wood from the waste stream. Kiln for drying timber Jaycee Furniture of Woodingdean - soon to close their factory after many years - have offered to donate a wood drying kiln to the project. The kiln will be stored until we have our permanent home when it will enable us to prepare certain types of wood to a higher standard. Real Quality Furniture To demonstrate the quility of some of the wood discarded, local cabinet maker Jamie Creighton has agreed to make a piece of high quality furniture using only the Project?s reclaimed wood. Jamie, who was recently featured in the Evening Argus, is a very talented furniture maker and hopes to show that reclaimed wood is not just for the fireplace or the garden but for the home too.

Our sincere thanks! B&Q (Brighton), Builder Centre (Hove) Covers (Brighton) Homebase (Hove and Shoreham), and Wicks (Hove) have all shown their support for the Project by donating a huge variety of tools for de-nailing and preparing wood for re-use. A big thank you to all of them! Thanks also to David Ottway of Deospeed Removals Ltd for the use of the van to make collections. Developments on site The current site at the back of Stanmer Park is gradually being sorted out, and the erection of a polythene tunnel allows the storage of a large quantity of wood under cover. It's a wonderful location at which to work, but the search is continuing for a larger site to allow for the expected rapid growth of the Project. In the public eye The Wood Recycling Project will be at the Brighton and Hove Community Environment Partnership (BriHCEP) conference 'Making a Difference' on March 27 as part of Brighton's very active recycling scene.

Wood Recycling: What it's about · The Brighton and Hove Wood Recycling Project has been set up to reclaim and re-use some of the 1000?s of tonnes of timber currently needlessly burnt or land-filled in the Brighton & Hove area every year. · The long-term aim is to create a profitable concern that is of genuine environmental benefit and whose profits are re-invested in other environmental projects in the community.

Can you help us? · What we still need: · A part time volunteer carpenter to help design and build items to sell · Volunteers to help at our site at Stanmer - as much or as little time as can be spared.Fun, varied work.  · Sponsorship to grow the project more quickly · Nominations for the Management Board - welcomed from anyone with appropriate experience