Action Briefing Feb 2005 - Mar 2005
	The Newsletter of Birmingham Friends of the Earth

An Exhibition of Creative Recycling

The government wants local authorities to increase recycling rates - but what to make with all that rubbish? On 9th December 2004, Birmingham Friends of the Earth hosted an exhibition of some rather special recycled products.

This was the first time three companies - Smile Plastics, The Green Bottle Unit and Urban Earth - had come together to display their recycled wares after years spent developing the unique materials. They now want to begin producing the high-quality tried and tested products in large quantities.

Smile Plastics takes items such as old mobile phone cases (some acquired from Customs & Excise confiscation) and produces works of art and household items, such as drinks coasters. The Green Bottle Unit recycles glass into blocks suitable for use as decorative paving and the like. The blocks have been used in several City Council regeneration schemes. Remember when small glass blocks were used in buildings years ago? Next time you’re at the Warehouse, look at the wall between the toilets!

The Urban Earth products on display included bowls like the one pictured above, desk tidies, candle holders and constructed panels. Different coloured recycled papers are combined before a wood turner or machinist creates the beautiful designs of the finished product.

Urban Earth’s 'JAZ' materials consist of 80-90 per cent recycled paper impregnated and compressed into two kinds of structural boards or blocks which can be used as an alternative to plastic or wood for interiors. The most revolutionary is probably the beautiful marble-like (and biodegradable) starch/recycled paper board. Various coloured strata of recycled paper are designed and then compressed into what only can be described as a contemporary form of inlay.

Desirable
Smile plastics boards, Green Bottle’s glass and JAZ materials are high-quality, high-added value, long-lasting products which show how 'waste' materials can be highly desirable and competitive with other products.

Smile plastics boards not only look excellent but are also very easy to manufacture. Green Bottle Glass is manufactured with its own localised collection system. JAZ composites use waste paper grades that are in constant supply (under-used) and also provide a 'clean' composite for the home. Most interior boards are medium density fibreboard (MDF) and these generally contain a thermosetting resin called phenol or melamine formaldehyde for surfaces. Formaldehyde is a recognised carcinogen and persists in the environment. Most particle boards also utilise organic solvents in processing which release harmful volatile organic compounds in the atmosphere. During the development of JAZ materials both formaldehyde and organic solvents were eliminated from the recipe by using water-based starch or polyethylene.

Some people are critical of the fact that the products, particularly JAZ, are too expensive and that they only use a small amount of waste. The problem is that none of these products is really profitable yet; the reprocessing of most waste materials requires a good deal of capital investment to set up. Grants certainly help, but we need to make money if we are to keep up the work, invest in new or modified plant and equipment, and increase the volume of our output - and, of course, scientists, engineers, technicians and designers have to eat in the meantime!

Determined
Plastics were developed in the 19th century to mimic precious and semi-precious jewels for the up-and-coming middle classes, and look at their uses today. If people support the determined efforts of many recyclers to integrate recycling into everyday manufacturing systems there is no doubt that millions of tons of waste glass, paper and plastics could be used as raw materials for a vast array of commodities. The products on show at the Warehouse were high-quality commodities - antiques of the future - but they can help to establish new technologies leading to a much wider variety of products in the future.

If you missed the exhibition, all is not lost. We hope to display a range of the recycled paper items in the Warehouse Reception. Orders can be placed with Barbara at Urban Earth: call 01158 75849, email barbwhite15@hotmail.com; or visit the website www.urbanearth.org.uk.

The exhibition was followed by a superb Jazz session in the Cafe. This was so successful that we decided to make it a regular evening fixture, starting on Tuesday 1st March with combined meal and jazz. For further contact the Warehouse Cafe on 0121 633 0261 or Urban Earth (as above).

Barbara White and Dave Clare