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Mar 15, 2023

Ask Trash Queen: What should I do with the cracked plates in my kitchen?

Alex Kirkham is a waste specialist, here to answer your rubbish-related

Alex Kirkham is a waste specialist, here to answer your rubbish-related questions.

If you have a question about what to do with waste, send it to [email protected].

Unfortunately, there is not a great deal that can be done with broken plates and crockery. They are definitely not recyclable through the kerbside collection so be sure not to put them in your recycling bin. This will contaminate other recyclable items being sorted at the recycling facility.

READ MORE: * Don't dump it - donate, upcycle or fix it * Quest for zero waste at Newtown Festival: paper plates out, crockery in * Behind the scenes at a top charity shop

The good news is that if you do need to discard broken ceramics and porcelain, overall these items are relatively inert and do not release any greenhouse gases in landfill.

Wrap them carefully in paper so the sharp edges can't poke through, and place the package in your refuse bin.

There may be other options for crockery to be repurposed or upcycled, for example some people who like to garden may crush them into smaller pieces to use as a drainage layer in garden pots, or they could be used to repurpose into a mosaic.

Community groups may be looking for broken crockery for an art project, or check out Pinterest for some other ideas about how to repurpose them.

Sunday Magazine