Goodwaste

GoodWaste is an initiative that collects waste material from industrial sites around London and uses it to make objects that reflect local needs. We study the material flows of a particular area as well as the local communities surrounding it, in order to effectively close loops by making useful objects from so-called ‘waste’. Our initial study was around Park Royal (London’s largest industrial site), and we proposed using offcut materials from the skips of manufacturers—materials such as marble, steel and Corian—and using it to produce homeware for the new homes that are currently being built in the neighbouring town. This represents a new model of manufacturing that is highly local and highly circular; dissolving the area’s waste problem while preventing an influx of low quality, mass-manufactured goods that must be shipped across the world. The project highlights the potential of the so-called waste materials as a valuable local resource. The initial collection of exemplar objects are made from Park Royal waste and speak to their industrial heritage. Some are engraved with the name of the original manufacturer (and source of material) while others maintain the raw edges from the original offcut. Further, in line with GoodWaste’s design principles, each object is made from the leftovers of a previous object. In Autumn 2019, GoodWaste will launch a range of products in Selfridges as a means of testing this vision and seeing how customers respond to the idea of products made from offcuts, meaning each one is unique. Meanwhile, we are planning a series of workshops in or around the industrial sites where we source material, in order to connect communities to their local manufacturing and to teach methods of sustainable making.