IF you’ve ever peaked into the ‘wood only’ skip at your local recycling unit, you will have an idea of how much perfectly good wood goes to landfill every day. 

It needn’t be so, and Glasgow Wood Recycling (GWR) is a charity and social enterprise project that takes reusable wood and finds creative ways to recycle and reuse this valuable natural resource, offering a range of home and garden furniture for sale to the public.

The project has been a great success, particularly because it provides volunteer and training opportunities to local people, as a practical way of tackling poverty.

The volunteers learn new skills to take to, or to return to, the workplace, or the volunteers may just be looking to develop a new hobby, or fill their time more creatively.

All items are hand-made in the South Street, in Glasgow, workshop. As well as standard products, the team can work with clients to develop, design and make products to any specifications.

The GWR team can also install a range of products including planters and seating. GWR collects wood waste from homes, businesses, theatres, venues, across the Glasgow area, for a small fee to use in their projects.

Peter Lavelle, manager of GWR, says: “Out of, so called, wood waste, we can make so many useful products.

This wood would either have gone to landfill, or for chipping, and there is so much we can do with it.

“Also reclaimed timber can be a little cheaper and environmentally friendly to purchase as well.” Call 0141 237 8566 for more information or for the full range of products on sale, go to www. glasgowwoodrecycling.org. uk