The rise in worldwide urbanization, hazardous pollution and wasteful use of resources has put numerous species on the brink of extinction. The scientific data has shown that if the trend continues, humanity will face similar consequences. According to Sir David Attenborough, living sustainably is our only option. Many people have already started taking measures towards a more sustainable living at a household level, following the rule of three “R”s: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. However, there is still a lot of waste that is not recyclable, that requires a different solution.

Having looked around my kitchen I came to realization that organic waste, when combined with cheap ingredients, can be transformed into new materials: bioplastic and bioleather. Since my Eureka moment, my household waste has been redirected into the non-stop creative flow to achieve new materials of various colours, textures, translucency levels and smells.

Photo: BioPlastic made from edamame pods.

Photo: BioLeather made from banana peel.

I felt that the prototypes, made from my personal waste, could help write a diary of my household. Since each waste product was associated with a particular moment in life of my family, bioplastic prototypes would become little mementos, that helped us remember the night by. In order to create the story, I have turned to the technique of stained glass windows, a form of pictorial art, that has been used to portray tales from the Bible, literature or history.

Depending on the ingredients, their concentration and preparation methods, the bioplastic shards would have different levels of translucency, density, porosity, various textures, smells and colours. Following the stained glass approach, I combined the bioplastic prototypes, created after a single dinner, into a lamp.

As the light shines through the bioplastic elements revealing their colours and textures, the Viewer can observe the new life that was given to the unappealing waste products. The process involved a lot of creativity and experimentation – traces that should be encouraged in every household that are moving away from mass produced objects towards eco-friendly, circular goods.

The approaching global warming creates a sense of urgency to find new ways of liveability. Design plays a major part in making an inevitable transition from unsustainable to environmentally conscious lifestyle. I believe that by educating global community to see waste as a medium for story telling, we can help establish new relationships and strengthen existing ones, while encouraging social and environmental development.