Elective

In my first elective I made plates out of rest material. I really enjoyed this process, but the project was only 2 weeks so I could not really develop any further. The assignment was to make a circular design. The results are shown below. I want to continue this idea in my social practice New Earth because I really think this is an innovative design. But it can be produced on a larger scale and that is what I want to research more.

When we are cooking we always have leftovers such as peelings and skins of vegetables. This is thrown away and cannot be used for consumption. I used this "waste" to be useful. For a catering company I came up with a concept where there are no more residues and it is not necessary to buy new plates, so less (new) waste.

The catering company prepares the dishes a few days before a festival or catering. The vegetables are cut and the leftovers can be saved. The leftovers are mixed with (homemade) natural glue. The mixture is poured into a mold and compressed with high pressure. The plates then have a few days to dry and can harden in the oven or a warm place. During the festival, the dish is served on plates made out of leftover material from what you eat. The plates can be made into compost after use and used to grow new vegetables.

The process to make the plates was not that easy as I expected. The glue didn’t work, and the plates just kept falling apart. After trying many different natural glues and other ways of pressing the plates finally came to life. After finishing I made a list of points that can be improved:

Not too wet material

Glue needs to dry longer time

Smaller pieces of rest material

Drying the material before using
(no water can be in the product)

Stronger press

Not only material from one dish but
combining strongest materials

Longer expiration date