Wood Recycling & The Workshop
Waste Wood Collection
Our prompt, professional and competitive waste wood collection service is available to all businesses within approximately 30 miles radius of our facility at Hill End Lane St Albans. The construction Companies are our biggest clients and we collect from both small builders and large national contractors.
We also collect from many different types of customers - businesses and organisations producing many kinds of wood waste e.g. pallets, wood packing, joinery off cuts has used our collection service.
What Wood do we collect
Put simply, all “waste” wood regardless of size or condition including
• Plywood
• Timber
• Painted or treated wood
• mdf
• Crates
• Pallets (whole broken or non-returnable)
• Mdf and laminated wood
We can collect up to 16yd3 of wood at one time, or 1.5 tones in weight - this is approximately 60-80 pallets, depending on their size. Long lengths of timber are not a problem in our LWB 3.5 tone truck
Our fees for collection are lower than the cost of a most builders skips per cubic yard and wood generally stacks better in our vehicles than in skips offering further savings.
We can report on what happens to your wood waste giving the amounts reused either in our workshop or by selling to the public, the amount used as firewood and the amount we take to be chipped from where it is taken to be burnt in a power station to generate electricity. The chipping plant we use take all grades of wood including laminates (e.g. kitchen worktops) mdf, ply and treated/painted wood so none of the wood we collect will end up in landfill sites.
Reuse of Collected Wood
All the wood collected is taken back to our centre at Hill End where it is sorted into the different grades below
Grade 1 - resale to public/use in our workshop
Grade 2 - reuse for DIY in our workshop
Grade 3 - firewood for sale/donation to public and community groups
Grade 4 - residue to be taken to chipper
Wood Shop at Hill End
Open Mon - Friday, 9am - 5pm.
Contact Geoff 07880 528407 or 01727817294 email: stalbanswrp@aol.com
We have a variety of wood in stock which we sell at a much lower cost than local DIY stores.
Items for sale include
• Scaffold boards and other boards suitable for raised beds
• Softwood lengths including 4 × 2
• Hardwoods lengths
• Sheet materials
• Firewood
Please call on 07880 528407 before coming to check stock and that we’re not out collecting more wood.
Volunteers
While the Emmaus Companions carry out most of the work in wood recycling business, as the business grows we are looking for more volunteers to help us keep up with demand.
Volunteers are currently working alongside companions and the wood recycling project manager collecting wood and helping sort the collected wood. Volunteers are provided with protective clothing and safety training. The work is not too physically demanding but some fitness is required - you will get fitter by volunteering with us!
Minimum time commitment is ½ day which can be on a regular or Ad Hoc basis.
Contact Geoff 07880 528407 or 01727817294 email: stalbanswrp@aol.com
Supporters and Partners
Butterfly World in St Albans www.futuregardens.org has listed us as an official partner in recognition of wooden cable reels which we donated to them. We have also collected surplus wood from the construction of phase of the project and we look forward to working with them in the future.
THE WORKSHOP
The Workshop at Emmaus St Albans has three key areas of work:
1) RESTORATION OF DONATED FURNITURE FOR RESALE
Much of the furniture which is kindly donated to Emmaus will need some degree of restoration. Whether this comprises simple scratch removal or a complete rebuild, all work will be done by the Companions in our own workshop. If donated items are beyond economic repair we do our best to salvage as much as possible to reuse on other projects e.g. handles, hinges etc. The workshop encourages the creative flair of the Companions and this has generated some highly individual pieces such as brightly coloured bedroom suites for childrens' rooms. Companions are also able to learn new skills such as french polishing by hand which certainly helps with the second area of work...
2) PROVIDING FURNITURE RESTORATION TO OUTSIDE CUSTOMERS
Following requests by customers, the workshop has started to offer its furniture restoration service to external clients. Whilst we do not have a dipping service for pine, we can strip many items by hand and refinish them. We are also able to offer to sympathetically restore antique furniture with French Polishing carried out by hand in the traditional manner. For further details and pricing please call
01727-817294 and ask for Chris.
3) DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION AND SALE OF NEW ITEMS
With the growth of the Emmaus Wood Recycling project, the workshop has began to make new items for sale in the shop. Naturally, we concentrate on designs which will make use of our recycled wood and which can be made with our current equipment and skill base. Whilst the recent output has been limited to the ever popular bird tables (please see photo on the home page), planters etc., we are always interested in taking on new comissions. If you have any requirements or suggestions please call:
Chris on 01727-817294.
REQUEST FOR VOLUNTEERS
If you are a keen cabinetmaker, a competent carver, or a tremedous turner and you would like to volunteer some time to help with work of the Community please contact Chris on 01727-817294.