AN Acle grandfather is turning his natural thriftiness into a new business recycling unwanted building materials such as bricks, timber, nails and screws to be reused by the public.

AN Acle grandfather is turning his natural thriftiness into a new business recycling unwanted building materials such as bricks, timber, nails and screws to be reused by the public.

Malcolm Porter has officially opened Third Hand Recycling, based at Reeves Corner in Great Plumstead.

Mr Porter, 70, who was born in Great Yarmouth, said: “It wasn't called recycling when I was young, it was called necessity.

“It was before even the bin men came round. I remember my grandfather got me to dig a hole as a boy and I once made the mistake of asking what it was for. He simply said 'you'll see'. When I had dug the hole he buried old bottles and tin cans.

“I come from an era where everything had a value and that has stayed with me.”

The business at the moment involves just Malcolm, but sometimes wife Freda goes in to help.

And former builder Malcolm added: “Depending on how well this goes I would like to take on a younger partner to carry on when I have to give up. I would also like to start a training programme for young people who have perhaps dropped out of mainstream education.

“The business is basically to stop so much waste going to landfill, things such as bricks, blocks and even radiators. We get the items and clean them up and make sure they are reusable. It is aimed at everybody. It does two things, it reuses things that would otherwise be wasted but it also helps people get cheaper materials for any projects they have, which is especially important at the moment.”

Prices start from just 5p and Mr Porter has already built up a large stock at his 1,000 sq ft unit.

He added: “For it to be successful people need to support me, the acid test will be whether they come back again.”

Opening hours are Wednesday to Saturday 8.30am - 5pm and Sunday 10am - 4pm. For details, call 01603 263868.