Ceramic waste drying

Working in a ceramic studio produces a lot of waste, most of which I try to reclaim and recycle. I’ve mentioned that I haven’t gotten a whole lot of ceramic work done during the first month of school, but have slowly returned. The other day, I also wrote about my low tech studio which lacks running water. I long for running water, but on the other hand, it’s probably a very environmentally sound practice on my part because I’m forced to conserve.

There are a couple of solutions to my dilemma. The one that I employ is to have one bucket of water for throwing on the wheel and general clay production, and another bucket of water for glazing. A alternate solution would be to purchase the Cink, which is a portable sink that uses a garden hose. I wouldn’t mind trying out the Cink, since I’m pretty sure at $1400.00 it’s less expensive than hiring a plumber to install a water line to the garage.

I feel pretty good about both solutions since none of my ceramic waste enters the city’s water supply. There are several ceramic raw materials that are toxic and are supposed to be disposed of through the city’s Hazmat disposal program. In my own studio, I attempt to utilize more benign raw materials, though I do have some manganese dioxide, among others which requires careful handling.

So what about those photos up at the top of this post? After neglecting my studio for nearly a month in August/September start of school and living in a semi arid climate, my buckets of water evaporated, leaving bits of clay, raw material and glaze sludge. When I discovered the gunk, I thought it was an opportune time to dispose of it. Some ceramicists throw it out once it’s dry – I don’t feel too bad about doing that since almost of the material is from the earth herself. Others fire the sludge in a kiln and then throw it out with the trash. I almost think that option one is a better choice since at least that will erode over time. The latter choice might not be the best since I would be creating permanent waste for thousands of years.

My friend, Mary Cay suggested that I fire some of it, and perhaps incorporate a bit of it into a new glaze since there are glaze materials in the waste. It’s worth a shot and something I’m going to try next time I have a glaze fire.

Meanwhile, I must get ready to sub today..

~Cynthia

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