DIY Materials From Potato Skin Waste For Design

Abstract: This work concerns the creation of a wall display for fruits, made in a DIY material structure, as the result of a material tinkering process over waste to enable understanding possible application in a design context. The material and object is obtained starting from potato skins, as an example of waste very frequent in the food processing chain, in most local contexts. The display is specifically designed in a double layer configuration, partially translucent, colored with food dyes and aromatized during the experimentation phase to ensure its suitability to the purpose. Some basic characterization tests were also performed to allow for the possible development of a customized product from this material demonstrator. The process, in giving some value to a typical and very diffuse food chain waste, would therefore guarantee the upcycling of the relevant refuse. The structure is intended for application into a context of farm holiday site and aimed at presenting local products, ideally coming from the very farm fields involved.