Waste

Our collection contains numerous materials that could be considered waste, effluvia or biproducts, like our stalagmites of polyurethane foam that have dripped off a shoe sole production line or our array of slags from iron and steel production. However, samples of biofuel made from coffee grounds, mycelium foam grown from agricultural waste and leather made from apple peelings show that one person’s trash is another’s treasure. We don’t treat these materials uncritically but draw on the expertise of researchers in our Plastic Waste Hub, Compostable Plastics and Comfort Loop research projects to examine the pros and the cons of these newer waste-based materials.

Read more about our waste-related research.