(Photo: greenme.com)

Turning waste into a renewable and recyclable cup

The Italian design office, Carlo Ratti Associati (CRA), has developed a “circular juice bar” that is utilizing waste to create disposable bioplastic cups. The machine is used to juice fresh oranges and collects the leftover orange peels to 3D prints disposable bioplastic cups.

After oranges are juiced the peels are left out to dry and ground into a powder that is mixed with Polylactic Acid (PLA). The dried orange peel mixture is turned into a bioplastic 3D printer filament that is used to produce the disposable cups.

(Photo: dezeen.com)

This helps to cut product costs for the juice bar while utilizing waste to create something new that can be recycled after use. CRA worked in partnership with an energy company, Eni, to develop this circular juice bar with the “Feel the Peel” prototype testing in Italy.

Turning lemons into lemonade, more like turning oranges into a cup that holds the juice.