If you’ve thought of purchasing furniture or other things made of a tropical hardwood, you know how very expensive they are. That’s fair enough, since they take so very long to grow and then shipped a great distance which is costly. You may not be surprised to learn that it is quite common for goods to arrive in crates and on pallets made from these very same expensive woods.

And since they arrive like that, for this wood to be thrown away, put into a landfill or burned. Some furniture makers have noticed this and have begun recycling these crates and pallets into good quality furniture. This is an excellent example of up-cycling, a way where a low value item is turned into something of much greater value by a little bit of creativity.

Recycling saves money and energy savings. This is true of all the recycling markets that are well developed. However, recycling is only part of the hierarchy of energy and materials. When you look at the bigger picture, the best option is to reduce the consumption of these products.

Waste prevention is the cheapest option, if it takes the form of things like not buying bottled water or the minimization of consumption by choosing products that do not create waste. The reuse of components and re-purposing items is the best course of action, which often leads to the creation of new wealth in the form of up-cycle components.

Recycling and energy recovery, such as the tapping of reserves of methane from landfills are the best options. Expended of energy is higher, but at a savings rate higher than fthe cost of disposal, which is the most wasteful use.

We have updated our recycling section at this site today, use the link below to view this section.

Recycling Guides