As a final project for Master in Product Design at ESAD – IPL, Caldas da Rainha, Marco Balsinha has developed Uroboro, a domestic vermicomposter. This project has been designed to answer our environmental problems by moving urban waste from landfill sites and transforming them into useful matter for floriculture. Inspired by the typology of trees, it creates special conditions for safe vermicomposting. This project forms plant living system within your home and bring you a bit closer to nature. It uses earthworms as accelerating agents in the process of transforming domestic organic waste into humus.
Designed as modular system, Uroboro has 4 different pieces of red clays that can be extended by adding pieces up without preventing the mobility of earthworms throughout the overall system. The clay is used as mediator for odor, moisture, and temperature. Some prototypes are already available and have been tested in several households from different backgrounds, the results are pretty promising.
Designer : Marco Balsinha
Mentor: Prof. José Frade
Co-Mentor: Prof. Luís Pessanha
