Recycling Competition

The Waste Converters Challenge - Create from a Crate

Create from a Crate is an innovative competition aimed to promote recycling and waste reduction.

Entries are open from the 19th of October, 2012 for the 2013 competition. The official launch will take place as part of the Timber and Working with Wood Show held at the Melbourne Showgrounds, Epsom Road, Ascot Vale from the 19th - 21st of October 2012. Information and entry forms will be available from the Victorian Woodworkers Association Stand, located at Stand 107. Also this years pallets will be on display as well as some examples of pieces produced in previous years.

Create from a Crate first commenced in 2003 and ran through until 2006. In 2012/13 Waste Converters and the Victorian Woodworking association are once again organising this competition after a 6 year hiatus. The crates used for the previous competitions came from the Iveco Truck manufacturing plant in Dandenong. This year the timber used for the competition will come from pallets that were made in the USA and they have come from AMCOR Flexibles. These pallets were used to import rolls of heavy metallic film used to make food packaging.

The aim of the competition is to promote the re-use of waste timber that is currently going to landfill. The competition focuses particularly on post-industrial timber packaging waste.

Each year 500,000 tonnes of timber waste is disposed of in Victoria. Much of this timber waste is packaging waste in the form of pallets, crates and boxes. Often imported pallets are made of exotic timber species and much of this timber has the potential to be recycled into new and value added products.

We hope that the Create from a Crate Competition helps make people aware of the potential that this waste material has for being re-used and recycled. We would like to change people’s attitudes towards timber waste so that people begin to consider this timber more as a resource that can be reused, rather than as refuse to be discarded. The competition provides the incentive for individual wood designers and crafts people to design and construct functional or artistic objects from the timbers available from these pallets.

Competition Outlines 2012/13

The timber used in the Competition is provided by the Waste Converters Recycling Depot in Dandenong South. This timber originated from AMCOR Flexibles, Preston.
Two wooden pallets will made available to each contestant.

John Monument and Libby O’Brien from the Victorian Woodworkers Association in front of the pallets from Amcor Flexibles designated for the Create from a Crate Competition 2013

EACH PALLET CONTAINS: (all dimensions approximate)

3 bearers 1520-1670mm long, 150 x 70mm
9 boards 760mm long, 100 x 20mm
1 board 760mm long, 125 x 20mm
2 boards 760mm long. 150 x 25mm.
Only the timber contained in the pallet is to be used other than fixing screws and nails, adhesives and finishes. Ideally a maximum of ten percent total content of finished article/s can be other material (e.g. other timber, glass, steel, e.t.c). The idea is to "emphasise" rather than hide the recycled origin of the recycled material!

Categories/sections

Judges awarded a minimum of 4 Prizes including:

First prize: $3,000
Second prize: $2,000
Third prize: $1,000
Waste Converters Prize $1,000

Exhibition and Award Presentations

Contestants have 12 months to collect and dry a pallet and then design, manufacture and finish an object.
The first exhibition in 2003 was held at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre, Spencer St, Melbourne as part of the Timber and Working with Wood Show. There was a follow up exhibition of the winning entries held in the Atrium at Federation Square sponsored by Sustainability Victoria. The 2004 and 2005 Exhibitions were held at the Meat Market Craft Centre in North Melbourne. The most recent exhibition was held in 2006, again as part of The Timber and Working with Wood Show, which was held at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre.
The venue for the 2013 exhibition is yet to be announced. We will be aiming to exhibit in one metropolitan galley and one regional gallery.

For further information please contact:

Ward Petherbridge
Waste Converters Recycling
Ph: 03 9799 1935 or 0418 350 551
Email: ward@wasteconverters.com.au

The Secretary
Victorian Woodworkers Association
42 Courtney St.
North Melbourne, Vic 3051.
Email: secretary@vwa.org.au
Website: www.vwa.org.au