What would you think about having a garbage disposal as an integral part of your dinner table?
That’s sort of the idea behind artist Amy Youngs’ design called the Digestive Table. But rather than grinding those table scraps into nothing, this table feeds them to worms and snowbugs, breaking down your leftovers into compost.
The table has a portal in the center for disposing of those pizza crusts, egg shells, potato skins and even shredded paper. After the bugs finish eating, the compost sprinkles out into a bag below the table, which can be used to fertilize hungry houseplants.
Stay Tuned for “Worms LIVE!”
There’s a cool high-tech element to Youngs’ creation as well: an LCD screen embedded into the table that shows a live ‘feed’ from a small infrared camera. This enables you to view the bugs ‘feeding’ on whatever was left from yesterday’s lunch.
You might not want to watch them eating while you’re eating. But, hey, it’s all in the name of being good to our planet. You and the bugs, each doing your part.
About the Designer
According to her website, Amy Youngs is an artist who uses electronics, kinetics, sound insects, plants and pixels to create art about the complex relationship between technology, nature and self. She is an associate professor in the Department of Art at The Ohio State University. You can even find a construction diagram on her site, in case you want to build one of these tables.
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