A FIRM claiming to be South Wales' largest contemporary furniture retailer has found a green solution for disposing of up to 100 tons of cardboard and polythene waste annually.

Maskreys has shops across in Newport, Bristol and Cardiff and a £2m storage and distribution warehouse at the Wentloog Industrial Park.

It has invested £20,000 in two high-tech baling machines and a compacter from Caerphilly-based company Enviroquip.

Maskreys deputy managing director Trevor Catton said the company had taken the decision to go green as a contribution to a cleaner environment. He said: "Our suppliers are located in countries such as Italy, Scandinavia, Germany, Belgium, France and Holland.

"A lot of packaging is used to protect the furniture on its journey to us to ensure it arrives in tip-top condition.

"The new machines enable us to recycle the used packaging in a way that is ethically responsible and environmentally-friendly.

"No longer will there be a need for waste disposal lorries to take away up to four skips of waste a day."

Enviroquip sales manager Dean Marenghi said: "This is all about being environmentally-friendly while allowing Maskreys to recover value from its waste by sending it for recycling instead of paying landfill costs."

Enviroquip is a subsidiary of Beal & Son Ltd.

The new equipment will have one member of staff dedicated to its operation and this person will be one of 14 taken on since the firm's new storage facility was opened at Wentloog.