Pallet Girl hammers home the recycling message

5 October 2016

Pallet Girl, Monique Alexander

Pallet Girl is nailing the latest trend in creating furniture from recycled goods.

Monique Alexander from Matamata has a passion for the environment and minimising waste and also happens to be pretty handy with a hammer. The combination of her passion and skill inspired her to start her own small business, Pallet Girl.

Collecting unused pallets is now Monique’s favourite hobby so she can work away in her parent’s garage to fill the orders that are mounting.

“Head boards, side tables, cabinets, breakfast trays, wall art, you name it! I can make it… I’m always keen to give things a go,” says Ms Alexander.

“I started out by making my own head board and side table, then I had so many people asking about it and keen to have their own, so I started taking orders and calling myself ‘Pallet Girl’.”

A staggering quantity of timber is converted into pallets each year, and while the impact of reusing some of those pallets is minimal, it still has environmental benefits.

“If I can save a few pallets from landfill and do something creative with them, then that makes me happy. We live in such a ‘throw-away’ society now because goods are so easily accessible and available. Around 2.4 million tonnes of waste goes to landfills each year* and a lot of the time there is still value in the things we through away.”

As business grows, Monique is pleased to be rehoming pallets, challenging herself and her handy skills, and satisfying her customers with unique pieces of sustainable furniture.

Pallet Girl can be found on Facebook (www.facebook.com/palletgirl) and Instagram (@palletgirl.nz) and has gained around 200 followers in the first month.

ENDS

* In 2011, 2.461 million tonnes of waste was disposed of to municipal landfills as reported on Ministry for Environment’s website.

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