Marcelina Komar, a School of Form graduate trying to solve the problem of garbage segregation, came up with a way to use inedible parts of vegetables and fruits, turning them into raw material from which new items can be produced. Meet the super eco-friendly processing of The_peel Project.
It is reported that each resident of the European Union produces 482 kilograms of garbage every year. Among them, half is bio-waste causing the production of harmful methane gas. Waste management is a growing challenge for metropolitan areas. Waste deposits are growing, and so far only two percent of them have been reused. How can we improve this situation? With rescue comes Marcelina Komar, author of The_peel Project, a process for turning leftovers into usable objects.
Vegetables and fruits get a second life
© Marcelina Komar
As the designer says about the waste management problem:
We have a problem with segregation, we know that we should put garbage in separate containers, limit the use of plastic bags, use our own water bottles with filters. In practice, most of us do not follow these rules. Littering the earth is a large-scale problem. We do not feel our culpability and do not face the consequences for not being responsible.
Inedible parts of vegetables and fruits are dried
© Marcelina Komar
how not to waste and recycle?
The starting point for the project was the analysis of the process of throwing away. The author decided to change the functionality of the trash garbage can and make what we want to get rid of have a second life. Peelings and inedible parts of fruits and vegetables are an integral part of our food system, so Marcelina Komar decided to use them as a raw material that can help eliminate synthetic materials. The designer posed the question - what if we assumed that the kitchen does not produce waste, but raw materials? The search for an answer became the key to her work.
Shredded peelings are placed in a special press
© Marcelina Komar
vegetable and fruit dishes
The_peel Project 's residue processing is a simple process that can be easily transferred to a large scale. The inedible parts of vegetables and fruits are dried, so that they do not rot and only lose water. The peelings are then crushed, combined with starch and glycerin and placed in a special press created for the project.
The raw material can be used to create containers, dishes and even candles
© Marcelina Komar
Thematerial from bio-waste is very durable, and the objects I produced a few months ago are still intact. Thanks to the right proportions of starch and glycerin, the product becomes resistant to damage. The mass does not like only water. Under its influence, it begins to decompose slowly, for that it works great with dry products," says the designer.
The resulting biomaterial can be an excellent substitute for synthetic ones - plastic in plates, seedling pots and boxes for jewelry or dry food. It can also replace aluminum in small candles, additionally by using fruit peelings to give them a light citrus aroma.
