Ideal Bite

Reusing Broken Ceramics

Crack-Pot

11.05.2009

Submitted by tmeronek on Thu, 11/05/2009 - 12:00am.

House

The Bite:

Is it crazy to chuck broken ceramics? Eccentric as it may seem, those broken pots are totally useful. You can't recycle 'em in most areas, but try donating, fixing, or creating functional goods out of chipped and shattered earthenware. The possibilities are insane.

The Benefits:

Less landfill - consider all the ceramic stuff in a typical house: plates, dishes, statues, vases, cookie jars...those items add up when you toss them.
Make something useful - that cracked plate can frame your favorite photo; you can help out an arts organization by donating it for reuse; and your plants will love you for repurposing it as pot drainage.

Personally Speaking:

Toshio's mom is into making ceramics, and broken pieces come with the territory - so the backyard's full of mosaics (check out a pic in the blog).

Wanna Try:

Send old pieces to an artist who can give them a new life. The Broken Plate Pendant Company turns smashed china plates and vases into keepsake jewelry and cuff links ($40 and up). Enter the code IdealBride in the Note to Seller box to get 15% off (it'll send you an adjusted invoice).
Fix minor fractures with Amazing EcoGlue, a water-based, low-toxic adhesive sold in recycled packaging ($5/2.25 ounces).
Transform a picture frame, flowerpot, tabletop, or mirror into art with colorful chips, and a little glue or grout (try these projects). Or, loop silk or hemp string around a smooth-edged piece for a one-of-a-kind necklace.
Check in with local arts organizations or elementary schools to see if they need ceramic pieces for art projects. Nonprofit builders like Habitat for Humanity sometimes accept gently used ceramic tiles.
Layer ceramic chunks at the bottom of pots before topping with soil - it enhances drainage for your plants.
Replace the tumbled glass with ceramics in this SF Make It tip to create mosaic stepping stones for your garden.

Cocktail Fact

In July, archaeologists found what they believe to be Africa's oldest ceramic fragment, dated around 9,400 BC.

Bang For The Bite

It means getting a little inventive, but by reusing pottery instead of tossing it, you'll help avert waste and might end up with something pretty in the end.

5 comments

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Sarah Miller on November 05, 2009 at 05:32 AM 1

Or...you can donate them to an archaeologist! Archaeologists work with broken plates and dishes to help date an archaeological site and learn more about how people lived in the past. What would they do with your broken dish? Many archaeologists specialize in working with the public and doing educational outreach. Putting the pieces together or even counting how many different kinds of dishes are represented by a pile of broken ceramics can be a really useful activity to understanding how archaeologist make sense of the past. Your broken dish may enjoy a new life as an educational tool!

Melissa on November 05, 2009 at 07:02 AM 2

It it a myth that rocks or, in this case, ceramic bits, improves the drainage for potted plants. Water tends to fill a soil type up before moving on to the next. Putting rocks at the bottom of the pot actually decreases drainage, because water will first fully saturate the soil before it then moves on to the other "soil type" of the rocks. The water then must fully saturate the rock part before it will begin to drain from the pot.

Elizabeth on November 05, 2009 at 08:21 AM 3

In 1967 I purchased a house built in 1908. Anytime I dug in the yard I found bits of old plates. A neighbor said that was to prevent gophers and moles...and as I recall, it seemed successful.

Amy Pfaffman on November 05, 2009 at 10:35 AM 4

If you're in the San Francisco Bay Area, this is an amazing place to check out. They accept donations of broken ceramics and glass, along with all kinds of other stuff like windows, doors, bathtubs. The glass and ceramic bits are tumbled in a huge tumbler, turning the bits into beautiful smooth stones. Building Resources www.buildingresources.org 701 Amador St San Francisco, CA 94124-1234 (415) 285-7814

thalia on November 06, 2009 at 06:14 AM 5

make mosaics!! or donate them to an artist that will! i've been collecting broken ceramics for awhile, and once i get my act together i'll get started on my mosaic! ps it's fun asking a barista for a broken mug...they give you strange looks :)

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