Contest Sponsored by Aussie Recycler Takes Reclaimed Lumber to New Heights

An Australian company that recycles pallets and containers has taken recycling to a new level. Waste Converters Recycling sponsored a contest that spurred craftsmen to make furniture and other value-added goods from used lumber reclaimed from crates.

            Australia receives a great deal of imported products from the U.S., particularly industrial equipment, machinery and manufactured products. Many of these products are imported on pallets and crates made of lumber from native American trees, such as oak. These species are considered to be exotic in Australia and are particularly popular among woodworkers and furniture makers.

            Waste Converters Recycling has a 38-acre recycling depot in Melbourne, capital of the southeast state of Victoria. For years manager Ward Petherbridge decried the fact that so much used lumber was being put into a landfill. In 1997 he began a business of collecting used pallets and containers from local factories and converting them into products such as landscaping mulch and recycled pallets.

            Ward reclaimed wood crates that were exported to Australia carrying truck engines made by Detroit Diesel Engines in the U.S. He processed the crates in a grinder to produce mulch. Ward later began to explore other, more value-added avenues for this wood material. After providing samples to a couple of local woodworkers, it soon became apparent that the lumber contained in the crates was far too valuable simply to grind into mulch.

            The problem was to encourage woodworkers to use the recycled wood. This proved to be a difficult challenge. Many woodworkers could not see the potential for using recycled wood unless it was already in fully ‘dressed condition.’ Waste Converters Recycling did not have the personnel or equipment resources to process the recycled wood, preferring to sell the lumber cheaply in its rough sawn condition, still containing fasteners used to assemble the parts into a crate.

            In order to show woodworkers the potential for the recycled lumber, Ward started a  woodworking competition in conjunction with the Victorian Woodworking Association and Iveco Trucks, the truck factory where the engines were imported. Iveco contributed $5,000 in prize money, and the contest, ‘Create with a Crate,’ was born.

            The competition was promoted at an annual woodworking fair held at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre. Soon woodworkers from around the state began collecting crates from the Waste Converters Recycling depot.

            Entrants were allowed to use only one crate and could take up to 12 months to design and make a piece of furniture or similar work. Only the lumber contained in the crate could be used. The only additional materials permitted were screws, nails, adhesives and finishes.

            The competition had five categories:

n      Best Sculpture

n      Best Furniture Piece

n      Best Design

n      Most Innovative Use of Timber

n      Best of Show

            The judging took place at the Working with Wood Fair in Melbourne in October 2003. What the woodworkers created with the recycled lumber – which had been destined to be ground into mulch — was astounding.

            The Best in Show price was awarded to Ed Sargeant, who crafted a fully functional violin that is fit for concert halls. He enthusiastically played this beautifully crafted musical instrument at the judging.

            Other prize-winning entries included a life-size carving of a stingray, a dining room table with chairs and a steam-bent coffee table. The overall quality of the entries was superb. It was amazing how the recycled industrial lumber could be transported into such works of art.

            The entries were exhibited at Federation Square in Melbourne as part of the Victorian government’s ‘Zero Waste Week’ observances, which aim to encourage recycling and reduce solid waste.

            Response to the contest was so positive that organizers plan to sponsor it as an annual event. Entries are being solicited for the 2004 competition, which will be judged in November 2004.

            (Editor’s Note: For more information about this article, contact Waste Converters Recycling at 03-9799-1935 or e-mail ward@wasteconverters.com.au.)