Can India’s 5,000-Year-Old Disposable Clay Tea Cups Compete With Single-Use Plastic?

[@jarooosa]

I had tea in one of these cups on the banks of the Ganges. Instead of throwing it away I took it all the way back home to Australia, it is my prized possession from the trip.

[@_Parmatma_]

It is still intact ? Without breaking ?

[@jarooosa]

@@_Parmatma_ Yes, packed it very carefully and it survived!

[@DarshanMRaikar]

Yo mate 😮

[@DarshanMRaikar]

Just clean it and drink cup of tea ☕ then you can remember holy place of Varanasi 😊

[@aclass8356]

@@DarshanMRaikar kolkata

[@HauteHorizon]

As someone who loves ceramics, I'm impressed by the pottery wheel skills.

[@CrowSkeleton]

Someone is missing out on a huge opportunity to recycle these into ceramic gravel/sand and save natural resources (and quarry/factory workers' lungs). Road levelling, filtration, fish tanks, compost moisture retainers, composite wall fill...

[@JabbaSlug]

seems like you could just grind them up and add water to make clay again

[@TNT_FPV]

nah India's roads are fine 😆

[@cmrd_hdcrb]

​@@JabbaSlugThat wouldn't work since they are turned into ceramics by firing. Can't make them soft after that.

[@jrobbin24]

When he said grind them up add water and make clay I assumed he meant as grog to add to a new batch of clay. He absolutely was right

[@AnishRocsta]

Fired clay cannot be turned back into clay. It won’t work.

[@geneard639]

But, simple fired clay IS Recyclable. Collecting the clay tea cups, and bowls and small plates, all that would need to happen would be to crush and sieve the ground fired clay into ...well... grog, and they could add 30% grog to the fresh clay to both extend the amount of fresh clay and toughen the resultant new fired clay.

[@ElectricNed]

Can you repeat this indefinitely?

[@nomms]

​@@ElectricNedonly 30% of clay can be grog, so no. Every time you fire a cup 70% of it needs to be fresh clay

[@ElectricNed]

@nomms Makes sense, my question was whether you can then make grog from the cups that were 30% grog and on and on.

[@fillhixx]

@@ElectricNed Yes. All fired clay can become grog.

[@LucasMakes]

My guess is there's no network to collect the used ones and even if they did the cost to grind them down and reconstitute workable classy would make it impractical. Not impossible, just an added cost, it's a couple more steps when the margins are already tiny.

[@Sam-d8o6q]

It actually makes chai taste even better

[@killerdove123]

Absolutely.

[@temptemp4174]

When I was in Pakistan on holiday I had the opportunity to try tea in a clay cup similar to the one in the video.blown away by how much of a difference the cup makes, i wish I had access to clay cups like that for a reasonable price in the west, it would be all I ever drink tea from till the end of days

[@rkang6531]

I was about to type this, Chaa, Dai, Chana Masala, everything tastes better in these, ESPECIALLY chaa and dai

[@schyracollbrande1900]

Please don't let this teacup die.

[@MAC06141]

Yes it’s a shame…..but it’s not up to us…..sad ❤

[@LordThree]

Surprised they lasted this long. I hate plastic

[@Benedict.Lee88]

Wonder what you are using to type your comments on? A glass phone? Wooden computer? Fabric tablet maybe?

[@LordThree]

@ new iPad has shockingly little plastic exposed. And I’m not ingesting the particles

[@Benedict.Lee88]

@@LordThree - right. because little plastic means no plastic and you put your ipad in your mouth.

[@alysalee2000]

⁠@@Benedict.Lee88there are just one stuff that’s unavoidable but little changes can results in big change

[@DarshanMRaikar]

Even in the good old days this was normal this is ancient isn't it

[@kaptainkaos1202]

I have watched so many videos like this. Poor workers spending their days at labor for money that us Americans consider rounding up errors. Just once I’d like for a channel tell us how we could help them. For instance if there was a way to contact the potter shown in the video, or even a guild/union he belongs to, I’d love to donate to help make his family’s life a bit easier. For the cost of my family going out to dinner a donation would ease their lives for a short time at least. Allow them to get caught up on bills or even school clothes for the children. My life has been blessed and I would jump at the chance to share with someone less fortunate. Oh and I already give plenty to my local community with not just funds but I volunteer 3 times a week working with the homeless.

[@teekamchand801]

beggars literally make thousands a day in the country, don't donate money it will either make them lazy or it will be taken away by someone more influential. I would suggest giving them opportunities like selling abroad. If you truly wish to help someone, give them education or work. All the current problem in U, A have solutions in India, traditional knowledge is simply the solution made by humans of the era, when India was, what USA is now. Natural products, vegan food culture, mental illness cures, you name it. I would suggest anyone from outside to learn it, because traditional knowledge is disappearing much faster than in past due to internet and materialistic lifestyle.

[@pythonantole9892]

@@teekamchand801 How would helping them make them lazy yet the man in the video is already working and making an honest living.

[@tomwelshshore]

If he gets donations he doesn't have to work hard then who will make the cups. No one

[@trashyturtle1666]

@@tomwelshshoreif he can’t make a living, closes up shop and gets a job that pays him, who will make em?

[@stephgreen3070]

@@teekamchand801this man is not a beggar, though. He and his family are killing themselves 13 hours a day to make a meager living. They are hardly begging. And if someone could help and maybe allow them to pay for their children’s schooling, why not?

[@fairyqueen-m7t]

Why throw the clay cups away ? Someone has a good business opportunity to hear, If collected for recycling!! Could be reused for seed pots, Could be painted on and sold to toursist!! Could be washed and dried sold to the crafting industry's ect ect It is so sad to see blood swet and tears go in the bin like that. Hey, you could even use them for candle holders! The endless possabiltys hear is mindblowing 😢

[@temptemp4174]

As far as I'm aware people do recycle them, often they crush the cups and use the fired clay to create other items from clay.

[@msquietwoman]

Great ideas! I was wondering why they don't make them a bit more durable and glaze the inside. Even without glazing, it'd be easy to reuse with the proper cleaning technique.

[@thebrowns5337]

​@@msquietwoman people like the apparent flavour profile the unglazed clay gives. Glazing them would stop that.

[@rtg69]

​@@msquietwomanHowever, I've heard that many tea sellers engage in unethical practices by not recycling cups and reusing them to save money. Customers often intentionally break cups to prevent their reuse. In this context, making the cups more durable might not be the best solution.

[@tm92211]

Here in Kolkata, clay pots of multiple sizes are used to serve a host of other items for takeaways, such as sweets like roshogollas, curd, the potato curry accompanying flatbreads called kochuris, etc. Sadly, all of these are being replaced of late by cheaper plastic alternatives. As customers, the onus is on us to let the sellers know our preferences so that the healthier, traditional bhaars are allowed to thrive.

[@shringika8799]

Tea tastes so much better in these than in any other cup.

[@skylarmickel]

Such a great alternative to plastic. Anytime you can use something instead of plastic is always good. Personally I think plastic gives your food and drinks a odd flavor. But I guess if you grow up eating on and with plastic you wouldn't even notice.

[@zyxw2000]

Most of us in the West drink our tea from glazed ceramic mugs or cups, not plastic.

[@Patrick-y4d1z]

It is not a great alternative to plastic. That would be a paper cup.

[@skylarmickel]

@@Patrick-y4d1z Would definitely disagree clay, glass, porcelain are all great alternatives to plastic.

[@skylarmickel]

@@zyxw2000 I live in the United States. If you go to any fast food place your drink is served out of a plastic or Styrofoam cup. You go to a restaurant your drink is served in a plastic cup with a soda brand logo on it most of the time. Unless you're going to a pretty upscale restaurant. Most people in the United States drink out of a plastic cup and eat cereal out of a plastic Bowl. Most public schools serve their food on a plastic lunch tray

[@Patrick-y4d1z]

@@skylarmickel In a disposable sense, they're absoluely not. They're fine when made for food standards and for permanent use, not disposable and in some hole in the gound.

[@tortoisetraveler5815]

used kulhads can be given to nurseries where they plant only one seed in a small cup. Even they are using plastic tea cups to grow the seed.......

[@essee3984]

The cost of collecting and transporting to nurseries doesn't add up.

[@apanirban14344]

Finally Business Insider comes to Kolkata! There are more traditional industries here that you can cover.

[@krisayo]

This clay cups saves many poor lives and save the nation from plastic atleast small percentage

[@thebrowns5337]

True. And every little helps.

[@1kreature]

And unglazed clay can leech heavy metals into the food/drink instead. The source of clay and it's content becomes very important.

[@TheIronpusher]

Feet, the source is feet.

[@1kreature]

@@TheIronpusher 🤣

[@harshitgupta7740]

If only i could find it here in the US. It gives a unique texture

[@letssuperfuntime]

Why not just use good-quality clay that isn't contaminated by heavy metals, synthetic organic polymers, or feet? Just use good-quality clay and fire until it's ceramic, then keep reusing them. This throwaway culture that permeates India, China, and the US is a major contributor to pollution (way behind corporate products, but still relevant).

[@Petruhafication]

I really hope you're joking and not actually this dumb. Man can't even provide for his family using cheap clay. Not to mention most of these places don't have the infrastructure to support these items being multi-use. You have to wash them in clean water otherwise there's a huge health risk. To do that you need to spend money on clean water (if you're lucky enough to have clean running water, many of these shops don't even have a sink), soap, and spend time to wash each cup thoroughly. These businesses are operating on tiny margins, i.e. they are barely making any profit as it is, so they'd go out of business if they had to add additional costs.

[@essee3984]

You need a temperature > 1000°C to bake clay. Contamination? Hardly anything survives that temperature.

[@Glacierplayz337]

From Pakistan respect for this man ❤

[@ojasaklecha]

You know what, these things are actually getting revived and coming up in the trend again. We call it ' kullad ' and they are getting famous as a classic kullad chai these days. So, good thing for nature and for the people

[@samyamj6541]

Trust me , taste of tea in kulhad is completely different and tastes so much better than anyother utensils.

[@Ducktility]

I trust you

[@TDK2K]

each cup selling for half a US penny is unbelievable.

[@johnbouwens2024]

I bet tea in that cup Tastes amazing

[@ajitsen6927]

It does ! There’s nothing like the earthy aroma of tea from a clay cup, paired with the laughter and chaos of friends crammed into a tiny tea shop. True bliss! Warm hands, warm hearts, and warmer friendships - man those were the days when time slowed down, and the tea tasted like pure happiness.

[@_rakkim]

Used these when I was in India. Love the sweet tea they call coffee 👌

[@_Parmatma_]

Sweet tea they call coffee ? Isn't Tea and Coffee , completely different thing ?

[@cesarparra6025]

Why not recycle them? Tea sellers could have a bin only for the kulhads and sell them back to the makers to ground them for base material.

[@spicychad55]

It costs more money to recycle. It's like wondering why there's no more bottled soda VS plastic bottles. Costs more to remake them and the logistics cost more since ceramic is heavier so you have less to carry

[@dhairya8238]

Waiting for all the couch hygiene experts to come to the comments.

[@ms.andrea172]

Why not reuse the clay cups? Still a waste ro put it in the trash.

[@miserere_me9168]

its india ...

[@HarpreetSingh-xr6em]

its not wates the broken cups are mixed with new clay as grout to make new

[@captainelgato8313]

Bro it's tea not water. A reused kulhad might interfere with the taste. Also these are not lined cups so the fate is sealed with one use ALSO there had to be a supply to help keep em potters up

[@zyxw2000]

They don't have the means to sterilize them for another use.

[@blackhagalaz]

The cups are not glazed and therefore proteins from the milk in the tea, and other fine particles will soak in the porous ceramic. We know from experimental archaeology that boiling milk in a pot like this effectively seals a clay vessel, but if the clay itself is not cleaned properly and/or put over a fire for sterilazation its a potential health risk. You could seal the clay with a glaze to make it washable, but I suppose this eliminates the "convinience" of the cup, if the tea merchants have to wash them after every use. Still a disposable clay pot is way better for the environment since its technically just hardened dirt. They could be smashed and ground up though, to make temper for new clay pots. But thats laborious without a machine.

[@GhanshyamGupta-j9u]

This type of business will revive in future when India per capita income increases and people spending power increases as it seems all over the world people start to give more emphasis on cultural value as their income increases particularly in Asian countries where they have a history of more than 5000 years.

[@badmanno.1650]

They should glaze these so that they can be not only once. This will add to its value.

[@TohruMarie]

Thank you for another wonderful video. Amazing.

[@yackguy]

Well I am from this city and can definitely say locals prefers these over plastic or paper cups. Also bigger versions of these are used to prepare and sell yogurt by the sweet shops which really adds to the taste.

[@abhisheksumanAS]

Kulhad tea is costly in metro cities of India as the taste becomes altogether different. And it is biodegradable, but it takes more time in weathering as compared to say, a banana peel. However, many times the cracked kulhads are used in other industries. For some talking about lack of recycling in India, please do know India has one of the recycling ratio among the bigger economies, not because of infrastructure, but because the poor would not let anything go to waste. It’s not something to brag about, but sufficiently said, India is able to recycle to a great deal and thus west should worry about its share of climate change contributions and even more about the deniers!

[@rj6404]

Its a dying art back breaking work in hazardous conditions , these people deserve better .

[@satadal9310]

There was a place beside my locality called Kumorpara.....once upon a time there were 100s of house doing this things..... Only 2 survived today,... That's where our supplies comes and in last few years they are back in business due to rise of using clay lamps & outer shell of a famous firework they produce... Once Upon a time i joked them that they would have earned in lakhs in Western country, seem it'll become reality now

[@amartiwary5373]

I am watching this video just because yesterday my wife said the exact same thing as of this Documentary Tittle..by the way we do live in kolkata..kulkhad survives only in kolkata..here people happily pay extra if asked to drink tea or lassinnin kulkhad or bhaand

[@Khiladi_99]

I always buy kulhad chai whenever I find any shop selling it to keep the tradition alive. And to be honest, tea does taste better in these cups! Consumer demand is what drives businesses so we should try to buy as much as possible.

[@Jon-ml6ug]

I love all natural disposables who doesn't explanation point

[@BarunDey7]

For those who can, we should start promoting earthen cups and pots whenever possible. It's negligible for the entire industry but I use earthen pots and plates made out of banana+sal trees during family occasions. Trust me, the guests love it! Needs a little more budget and effort frommy end but worth it!

[@hdsamte]

They are used as they come, unwashed or wiped clean.. that's the only thing bothering me, otherwise tea tastes better with those than plastic or paper cups

[@Surila-yg2do]

Matir bhar er cha.. Calcutta Jindabad ❤

[@uttaranbhunia4939]

I still drink tea from bhar every day. Glad its still here.

[@manikyum]

The kulhad pizza wali will keep this alive 😅

[@kaledrayne]

it's very sad to the hardwork of these people go in the trash such a shame.

[@anthonyjames4319]

“If there are holes the tea will fall.”

[@ShawnLH88]

REUSE THEM!!!!

[@terranova1995]

Mass production.

[@deioped]

It seems to be an issue with production speed. Why don't they automate part of the process? The softening and kneading of the clay looks like it can be automated or at least partially automated/sped up using machines. Japanese noodle and mochi craftsmen sell 'handmade' products that are usually kneaded using machine and 'handmade' at some parts of the process.

[@jkfdkjjd]

Seems like it would still take a huge amount of energy to fire these cups compared to the relatively small amount to form plastic ones. They also weigh a few orders of magnitude more per unit so require a few orders of magnitude more energy to cart around (even after disposal). So again it's weighing one type of pollution over another.

[@MayureshJarag]

Now we want a video on Kulhhad chai😂

[@thanatosor]

As long as it doesn't contain Lead then I will buy them over those beautiful painted cups

[@essee3984]

Those are baked at 1000°C + temperature. Lead's melting point is less than 400°. Hardly anything survives that temperature.

[@dragonluvver975]

Imagine how much nicer trash bags would sound if they jingled with ceramics instead of crunching with plastic

[@user9318a]

There is a earthy fragrance you get when tea is poured in these kulhads.

[@abhishekchatterjee406]

Still there are soo many places in India where people still cook in Clay pot ( Handi) in slow cooking process

[@harishkumarvaivet5677]

In my opinion those can be sold in Flipkart. This is the best option for them.

[@ektaagupta7048]

The guy selling tea at 6:10 is besides my collge i have sat in there and drank lots of cup of tea.

[@AlokSharma1]

This used to be traditional then came glass and then came paper cups now it’s again kulhad There has been a resurgence

[@geroldbendix1651]

I wish we could have them in Germany. Paper cups, leaking microplastic and bisphenols 🤕 brr! Bisphenols reduce fertility, it is just horrible stuff 😢

[@arvideng9333]

man is it just me but they can just wash it with water and then re-use it like we do at home

[@Clancydaenlightened]

Add a ceramic glaze and they become reusable and add some designs Charge a little more while making the disposable ones

[@joellondon4596]

In our country this is unconscionable societal failure, in that country it is made a law that cups will be provided in promenant places, yet that same government sets the low price that forces families to work 18 hours every day in order to have food. Slavery never tasted so pure.

[@kalesmythe]

I'd rather work at this place than the bangle factory

[@ZaPirate]

the answer is no. There, I saved you 12 minutes.

[@ekamsat429]

Four great reasons to use the kulhads: (1) fired clay and water wash just before pouring tea adds a subtle petrichor smell to the beverage enhancing the experience, (2) the clay insulates fingers from the heat and provides a cool, strong and textured (yet lightweight) surface, (3) use-and-throw keeps them hygienic, and (4) these are literally dirt cheap.

[@WalknTalknStevnHawkn]

You completely ignore cost, time and scale of production. They're not cheap in comparison to paper and plastic products.

[@ekamsat429]

It is an option for those who like and want it, and not for everybody. The production is a source of employment and artisanal tradition, in a society with high rates of poverty and unemployment. The cost of a clay cup is 5 Rupees, i.e., 6 cents, and only for those who wish to pay that, say, for hygiene.

[@rithikarc]

In tamil nadu they mainly use glass cup for tea and coffe and any other drink and I worried that many bakery are changing to plastic and paper cups just before 2020 everyone was using glass cup but now they are changing to plastic cup

[@rkang6531]

If you ever get the chance try having tea, dahi or any other food out of these, don't miss out, it tastes wayyyy better. Especially on a cold winters day, tea or coffee in a bhand, is pure bliss. The tea stays warm, but your fingers stay cool coz of the clay, and then just as you are about to sip it, the clay edges of the cup ever so slightly cool the tea in your sip while giving you an intoxicating smell of tea and petricor.

[@4Gehe2]

If those cups were collected and taken back to the artisan, they could mill and soak the clay and reuse it.

[@Heather420]

For myself if I was a tourist there I'd rather spend a little more money to have the experience of drinking it out of the clay cup. I think they're really neat

[@JakeStreisand]

Dont be a fool heather. Please they will assault you.

[@anaesthete5592]

Obsessed ​@@JakeStreisand

[@user-hm9ti2zu4j]

They could be crushed and enhance soil for gardens.

[@Anthrax6989]

What this cup shop need is some automatization. For example some sort of mixer for clay and maybe separator which would remove heavier particles like stones. That's why those people are suffering and west is prospering. Such intense manual labour is the thing of the past, only craftsmen are allowed to exist in modern capitalist system competitively.

[@essee3984]

Just to give you perspective, each cup sells for half a rupee. That's 170 cups for a dollar ! He makes 2500 cups a day which is hardly 15 dollars.

[@DanielleCapichano]

If I had any control on the marketing of these tea cups, I would definitely look into what effort it would take to make these a bit more biodegradable, or to efficiently upcycle these into a second life purpose. Just my two cents.

[@lukemeck]

They aren't willing to change anything with the introduction of plastic, despite it taking the market, all in the name of traditio. They definitely would not change it to be more biodegradable for the same reason

[@Patrick-y4d1z]

Clay isn't biodegradable. It's clay. It's not breaking down into anything.

[@friendsgroup470]

​@@Patrick-y4d1zexactly, a little touch of water will turn the cup back to clay

[@Javadamutt]

​@@friendsgroup470 Not after it's been fired. Once fired the clay can no longer be reclaimed as it is chemically changed. Even if it was ground down to dust and water added you would be left with a sandy soup rather than the type of clay needed to make these cups

[@DeHub94]

It feels like they should sell their cups at a higher price. If customers value the clay cups as much as said in the video surely prices for chai in these could increase a bit. Not everyone might be able to afford them that way but they seem to be not able to handle the high demand anyway. I don't know much about India but they seem to be selling their craft a bit short.

[@maxttk97]

Regardless of cancer drinking tea from paper and plastic put taste bad.

[@ptrix]

Those clay cups seem to be VERY durable and reusable, why are they disposed of after a single use rather than returned to the makers, or rinsed and put back on the shelf for a future customer to use after they dry out? It seems remarkably wasteful, considering all the work that goes into creating them 🍵🗑🤷‍♂

[@zyxw2000]

These vendors don't have a means of sterilizing cups for a second use. They don't have dishwashers.

[@thegreenpaperclip42]

The cups aren’t glazed so they can’t actually be sterilized! Think more like terracotta plant pot not English teacup

[@pyronical]

As other said, can't be sterilized. But also, using them a second time, you don't get the same smoky/earthy flavour again.

[@raccoontrashpanda1467]

Unglazed pottery is porous, you can't clean it.

[@Neon-crayon]

Nothing like some feet in my tea.

[@jrobbin24]

Humans are designed to use their feet for a lot more things than they do. I get what you're saying about food safety and all but I think it's important to be open-minded and consider maybe what we've been used to our whole lives isn't the answer.

[@Serkunny]

It is fired, so the bacteria would be killed

[@b.gopalakrishna870]

100% good product from India Bengal . Nice to see their hard work.

[@unequallmpala4572]

2:50 someone needs to introduce this man to the wonderful invention that is gloves

[@dasarpagrud]

They know about gloves, protective equipment & whatnot. Poverty is the issue, it's impossible to compete with plastic/paper when the consumer can only pay so much for a cup of tea. Cafés meant for rich/middle class already use ceramic cups, cheaper tea stalls have switched to plastic/paper to keep the cost of a cup of tea low.

[@thebrowns5337]

​@@dasarpagrud Can we not call them 'paper' cups. I know the base material is pulp as used in paper/card but remember they are coated, at least internall, with plastic. Often they are printed too. The plastics and inks used, and the processes involved with applying them, are a problem environmentally and for human safety. Calling them 'paper' cups is a great disguise for this and is essentially green-washing. Lets just call them disposible cups - and we all know disposible is not great.

[@TheShuryansh]

Why ? Your cup will be washed thoroughly before use, it's dusty till it reaches shops।।

[@dasarpagrud]

@@thebrowns5337 That's not my point, I don't endorse paper & plastics for beverage use and certainly not defending their use, call them whatever but the fact here is this: the person making clay cups has to make enough money as a business- a cup of tea costs around INR 10-15(8-16 cents) to the consumer, he can't raise the price of these handmade clay cups, daily tea drinkers will flock to the spot with lowest total price of a cup.

[@MyMobileGames]

0:31 KULLaD कुल्लड

[@TheWind-k7q]

Coool-haad😂

[@olah22]

Yes..

[@robertkacala]

gov can say NO to plastic cups....simple solution

[@rkang6531]

If anyone ever has the chance to eat or drink out of these please don't miss out on it. Especially on a cold winters day, tea or coffee in a bhand, is pure bliss. The tea stays warm, but your fingers stay cool coz of the clay, and then just as you are about to sip it, the clay edges of the cup ever so slightly cool the tea in your sip while giving you an intoxicating smell of tea and petricor. It has the power to turn even the most heartless person into a hopeless romantic.

[@Random_Palmetto]

Well seeing as how they have to make sure they use their foot in every step of the manufacturing processes making sure to season the clay throughly with foot particles… I’m going to say no I’d rather have a clean cup with extra clean microplastics and one time use when it comes to plastic isn’t one time use…. is it?

[@niaciniv177]

All the feet gets burned off in the kiln

[@Truisty]

Create huge border between America and India

[@boriss.861]

Great Reels.

[@sealifett8395]

The transportation cost of these heavy cups override any benefits

[@adamjensen5689]

no is the simple answer ....

[@bayestraat]

just use edible cups smh

[@smartbaba1321]

Nowadays machines are taking over this buisness too, but why Forigen media always goes to traditional places only.

[@meerhamizanproduction]

Probably foreign place doesn't have old place🤷

[@raggapuss]

Having experienced this driving down a country road in India, I can attest, a masala chai served in this manner, so delicious, and then the remains of the clay cup returned to the earth … was quite memorable…

[@zyxw2000]

Business Insider is an informative news company. They're going to show what's unusual, not what's common. Plastic and paper cups don't make news.

[@zyxw2000]

Business Insider reports on unusual things, as common things don't make news.

[@tylerwestover234]

Because this is called "business insider" it goes to interesting artisan business.

[@timmytran9826]

0:56 the heart attack I almost had 😅

[@rkang6531]

Haha yeah, but then again you've got to think, these guys do this everyday non-stop, so they know their way around, and more importantly know what it costs to make mistakes

[@mightypaul9404]

its still sticky.

[@mrsw2923]

Clay is recyclable. So yes, it is far better than plastic.

[@ycg6131]

I believe clay is recyclable but broken ceramic is not. You can recycle unbroken ceramic because someone else can reuse them in its original shape. If you break it, then ceramic becomes a burden for the environment.

[@aronquemarr7434]

Does it matter if it's recyclable if it isn't recycled anyway?

[@ouryayommay9435]

@@ycg6131 you're correct; after the first firing, it goes from raw clay to having been "bisquefired." at any point up until that first firing it can be recycled. if its completely dry before being bisquefired, its called "bone dry" and can be recycled be simply soaking in water. but after being bisquefired, the only way it can be recycled is by grinding it up and using it as "grog" in clay, which reduces shrinking in the finished vessel (which in turn leads to less cracking)

[@Patrick-y4d1z]

@@ouryayommay9435 Can probably just break it up and throw it into compost.

[@ycg6131]

@@ouryayommay9435 Your reply is much detailed and thorough.

[@bobthebuilder-chan4769]

They're reusable, better to reuse since firing them require burning coal/wood or gas

[@jw4879]

Use the discarded kulhads to make durable road/footpath surfaces...?

[@karenneill9109]

Good idea. I bet it makes great gravel.

[@nouvel0001]

It anyways disintegrates & mixes with mud literally instantly.

[@My_initials_are_O.G.cuz_I_am]

​@@nouvel0001 It's fired clay, it is waterproof. It's stone, not mud.

[@gearsnogames9616]

Why doesn't anyone make a business collecting them and washing them. Selling them back to the shops for the cost of the paper cups.

[@Jose-xh5qb]

It's just fired clay, I imagine it will easily wear out and fall apart with repeated washing

[@manorsolomon951]

when you wash clay it wears out bit by bit, then it just breaks out in some time.

[@2Burgers_1Pizza]

When the industrial revolution knocks on the door, but tradition answers:

[@Petruhafication]

Lol what is tradition's answer? "I work for 13hrs a day and still can't compete and thus don't even have enough to provide for my family" Don't try to act like the industrial revolution didn't win...

[@sirraymondluxuryyacht8131]

me feels like, just a tiny little bit more work on them and they would not be disposable...or just a quick wash

[@abcdefghi9]

Drinks in the plastic cup just wouldnt taste the same. If you are a food business, and you customers have a problem with the taste, then you have a serious problem on your hands.

[@JAK_EDITS.]

ALL MY HOMIES HATE PLASTIC

[@savydude1]

Dn't put them in with plastic in garbage.

[@cembora4849]

I didn't suprise to see some mans foot in production. I think they obsessed to do something with their foot.

[@jrobbin24]

Keep in mind they fire these in a kiln after that which would kill a lot more germs than your dishwasher ever could dream of

[@cembora4849]

@jrobbin24 It is not about germs,

[@Asheeeesh34]

Everyone know why you choose that thumbnail business insider

[@mxecho]

in this video ; does indentured labor compete with automation?

[@carolr7823]

It seems like a huge waste of clay.