Have you ever thought that the lobster shells that you have tossed in the dustbin could be reused too? Well, reuse will be less of a word because they are being creatively reprocessed and transformed into functional planters and packages. Four designers from the Royal College of Art and Imperial College have collaborated to transform the discarded lobster shells into interesting items.
The team, called Shellworks, has successfully created a bio-plastic by amalgamating vinegar with chitin. Chitin is a fibrous substance and is the main component of crustacean’s shells and fungi cell walls. You can find a comparatively expensive version of chitin, called chitosan in the market already.
The team has prepared four of their own machines, named Shelley, Sheety, Vaccy, and Dippy to align the chitin-based materials with varying stiffness, flexibility, thickness and translucence. With this out-of-the-box concept, they are aiming to prepare products like recyclable self-fertilising planters, pill blister packs, and food containers. What’s more, you can compost these products too, if need be.
Shellworks is also aiming to root out the everyday usage of plastic by making the process more accessible and affordable. The team is holding their hopes high to eradicate the use of plastic once and for all by their innovations. There is no denying the plastic is exceedingly detrimental and is the major cause of increasing environmental pollution.
To learn more about the awesome project, you can visit the official website of Shellworks. Further, they have their Instagram handle too where you can dig into some interesting information.
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