Food Waste Ware is a project which documented local food waste situation at several food markets and food shops in London as well as the designer’s kitchen and made tableware out of it. 

 

The tableware was made from carbonised vegetable waste and animal glue extracted from waste from a meat shop. By bringing the issue back on the table, this project aimed to draw viewers’ attention to food waste issues and invites them to reflect on their eating habits. 



This project started with a poetical thought. We can live as we eat food, and this means taking lives of other living things, vegetables and animals. Araki, however, realised that, many people were not concerned about that and throwing them away just as 'waste' and started feeling a pity for that. That made him decide to work on food waste with appreciation to lives. He aimed to make people take notice of the reality of current food waste issue and the fact that we sometimes forget to have regard for them.

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Every day, food waste is produced at a huge industrial scale as well as a small domestic scale. Although some of it is processed into something useful, most is disposed of in landfills, contributing to environmental problems.

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As part of his research, Kosuke documented how much food was discarded from the food markets, shops and his kitchen on a daily basis, which is then compiled into a booklet with instructions on how to turn food waste into tableware.

 

The research booklet and the moulds used for forming tableware are designed as if they were an actual recipe book and real kitchen utensils so as to make viewers to imagine what they could each do as individuals.

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Concept, Design, Research and Development, Production, Direction: Kosuke Araki

Graphic Design (booklet): Tomohiro Tsushi

​Cover Photograph (booklet): Masami Naruo

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This work was selected as one of 40 works for the exhibition, 21st century Design and Art – RCA 2013  Selected works and projects from Royal College of Art Show 2013, curated by Christie's in London. It was also featured on Evening Standard, a free daily newspaper published in London.