A juicer that turns peels into bioplastic cups, shellfish plastic, White Dog Labs’ feed supplement, eucalyptus fiber and wool sneakers, plant starch dog toys, and more: The Digest’s Top 10 Innovations for the week of September 19th

It seems that plastic is in the news daily between bag bans, straw bans and even Ray-Bans. But there are companies out there tackling the plastic problem with alternatives like the new “Feel the Peel” juicer that turns orange peels into bioplastic cups by drying, milling, and mixing the peels with polylactic acid and 3D printing the cups. Or marine biotech company that is scaling up production of bioplastic produce packaging made with crustacean shells. Get these and more innovations for the week of September 19th.

In today’s Digest, a juicer that turns peels into bioplastic cups, shellfish plastic, White Dog Labs’ feed supplement, eucalyptus fiber and wool sneakers, plant starch dog toys — these and more, ready for you now at The Digest online.

#1 “Feel the Peel” juicer turns orange peels into bioplastic cups

In Italy, design firm Carlo Ratti Associati and energy major Eni are touring a juice machine that turns orange peels into bioplastic cups. Dubbed “Feel the Peel,” the prototype turns the orange peels into filament by drying, milling, and mixing the peels with polylactic acid. After heating, the filament is then used to 3D prints cups. All the steps take place within the 3-meter tall machine, which can hold 1,500 oranges.

Feel the Peel will tour various public places around Italy to raise awareness of the circular economy concept.

“The principle of circularity is a must for today’s objects,” Carlo Ratti, founding partner at CRA and director of the Senseable City Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, tells dexigner.com. “Working with Eni, we tried to show circularity in a very tangible way, by developing a machine that helps us to understand how oranges can be used well beyond their juice. The next iterations of Feel the Peel might include new functions, such as printing fabric for clothing from orange peels.”
More on the story, here.