Most people throw out their old cardboard cartons and tubes for recycling but Matthew Taylor has a different use for them - he recycles the rubbish into toys.

Matthew's two-year-old daughter Elizabeth has a unique collection that includes a castle, a space rocket and a letterbox piggy bank.

Matthew's hobby began two years ago when he found himself looking at all the rubbish around the house and wondering how he could turn it into something useful.

He said: "I make 100 per cent destructible toys which I don't mind being jumped on or thrown about.

"They are made to be destroyed although none of them have been broken yet because Elizabeth plays with them so nicely.

"Her friends come and play with them too. Her favourite is probably Iggle Piggle, a character from the BBC children's programme In The Night Garden. She likes to say that Daddy made this for me."

Elizabeth still has plenty of conventional toys bought by her mother Karina Moran, 35, and grandparents.

Matthew, 36, of Bolney Road, Brighton, said: "It annoys me sometimes when my partner buys all this stuff which costs a small fortune and then they get broken.

If only she'd waited I could have done it myself."

It takes between two hours to a week to make a toy.

Matthew said Iggle Piggle took five days but pencil holders made out of things like old Pringle tubes are quick to produce.

Matthew, who works as a salesman in the city, is inspired by television shows such as Art Attack, Mister Maker and Smart.

He insists the toys would pass all health and safety regulations and prides himself on the fact they are non-toxic and biodegradable. He said: "They're not going to go up in flames."

Matthew has not yet managed to convince any of his friends to follow his example but believes it would be good for the environment if they did so.

He added: "Every creation I make is better than the last.

"As Elizabeth gets older I expect my creations to develop. If I had my way I'd do a lot more but my partner Karina doesn't like all the junk around.

"We're not married but you never know. If I manage to sell enough on ebay it might pay for a wedding."

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