Citrus crush: The lamp 3D printed from orange peel

As well as smelling great, the Ohmie lamp has the added bonus of being compostable with organic household waste. Photo: AFP

Milan-based start-up Krill Design has 3D printed a touch-activated lamp from Sicilian orange peel. As well as smelling great, the Ohmie lamp has the added bonus of being compostable with organic household waste. The designers hope to prove that food waste can be successfully reused to craft an eco-design product that is both attractive and functional.

After fashion embraced banana- and mushroom-based leather, home decor is now jumping on the fruit and vegetable trend. The Italian firm Krill Design has turned to Sicily's emblematic oranges to create a light and fragrant lamp. From its patterned surface to its vibrant scent and colour, the 23cm-tall lamp is designed to reflect its origins.

"We are keen on promoting a local and fully Italian supply and production chain," Krill Design told the Deezen website. "Oranges are one of the many Italian produces renowned worldwide, and we believe it is a nice symbol."

A compostable creation

After use, the Ohmie lamp can be broken down by hand into smaller pieces before being disposed of with the household's organic waste, the studio explains. For now, the leftovers should be disposed of via a composting facility, rather than being discarded directly into nature.

"We decided to develop a material that, for now, would only decompose in industrial facilities for performance and durability reasons, but we would like to research more and achieve a biopolymer that can be durable and sturdy as well as easy composted in nature or in an at-home compost," the studio added.

3D printing with peel powder

Krill Design turned to 3D printing techniques to "avoid any form of waste during production". When the peelings arrive in Milan, they are dried and then ground into a fine powder. This peel powder is then combined with a biopolymeric vegetable starch base and formed into pellets. – AFP Relaxnews