wealth of waste

Don’t be alarmed! At first sight the Wealth of Waste exhibition may strike you as a rubbish dump rather than an elegantly designed show. Among the highlights you will find a slop bucket, a piss pot and paper made from potato peelings. Showcasing rubbish – it’s the world upside down.

Naturally, the rubbish is here for a reason. Wealth of Waste takes you back to around 1800 to show you how people in the Netherlands were actively involved in recycling waste materials. In fact, they made the finest products out of the filthiest muck. Chemistry played a major role in this undertaking. Watse Gerritsma, an entrepreneur who is the main character of this exhibition, built an actual chemical plant with the aim of converting every by-product into something useful. Nothing was lost, everything was used or recycled.

Wealth of Waste exhibition can be seen in the Fries Museum until March 4th, 2018.

The exhibition Wealth of Waste was developed by Museum Boerhaave and was established in collaboration with University of Twente within the NWO research program "Chemistry in Everday Life" by Prof. Dr. Lissa L. Roberts, Department of Science, Technology and Policy Studies.

Campaign image made by: Studio BrandendZant / Jona Kuijs