Meet artist Liz Elton

‘Harvest’, Vegetable Dyes from Food Waste and Food Colouring on Compostable Cornstarch Food Recycling Bag Material, with Silk, St Saviour’s, Highbury, 2018

Liz Elton is an artist who makes work on compostable cornstarch, the material used to make food waste recycling bags, to think about our relationship with landscape, time passing, and the potential embedded in waste. This material is made from crops such as corn or potatoes, and she uses it not just because of its connections to land use, food and waste, but also because it is fragile and ethereal and floats like parachute silk with the movement of the air around it, which can be quite meditative to watch (links to videos of installed works are at the end of this post).

Recent works 'One Hundred Harvests' and ‘Harvest’, refer to research discussing how intensive agricultural methods have compromised the fertility of our soil so that it may only support a further one hundred harvests. Similar works look at landscape related themes further using vegetable dyes from food waste and food colouring as well as watercolours, earth pigments, food supplements, seeds and grains.

‘Hill’, Vegetable Dyes from Food Waste, Food Colouring, Water Miscible Oil, Silk, Cornstarch, Seeds from Native Medicinal Plants, shown in Yield at 163 Gallery 2019

‘Hill’ was shown in ‘Yield’ at 163 Gallery in Herne Hill in 2019 and was inspired by the bicentennial of the birth of Victorian art critic John Ruskin who lived in the Herne Hill area for over 40 years. Starting with a Google Earth image looking down on the many houses and gardens of Herne Hill, Liz constructed ‘Hill’ using compostable cornstarch food recycling bags coloured with vegetable dyes, food colouring and food supplements sewn together with silk, and impregnated the work with the seeds of native plants with medicinal qualities such as chamomile, yarrow and feverfew.

‘Hill’, Vegetable Dyes from Food Waste, Food Colouring, Water Miscible Oil, Silk, Cornstarch, Seeds from Native Medicinal Plants, shown in Yield at 163 Gallery 2019

Lockdown meant that Liz thought about her practice in a more intimate way, rooted in cooking, growing vegetables, making compost, giving plants away. She started a lockdown diary, photographing kitchen waste on its way to the compost bin - onion skins from a rescue box bought when the local market re-opened, flowers brought back from a funeral when they couldn’t be given away. There are twelve images in the diary at the moment, and they will continue to be added to.

Selected Images (12 images can be seen on Liz’s website) from an ongoing diary photographing kitchen waste on its way to compost. Archival quality pigment prints on Hahnemuhle, 2020, each 19x14.5cm, edition of 30.

You can see more of Liz’s work on her website lizelton.com or her Instagram account @liz_elton

All images copyright Liz Elton

If you compost and want to take part in a home composting experiment, you’ll need:

  • a selection of identical compostable or biodegradable items (see list below)
  • a net bag and clip to securely close it (see guidance below)
  • a plastic milk bottle cap (or similar) and permanent marker pen to identify your items

If you do not use a composter but you're interested in finding out more, please see our Composting Processes page for more information.

1. Choose your experiment items

Select the type and quantity of compostable or biodegradable plastic items from our list that you would like to test. Please only select items that display the following manufacturer information:

  • 'compostable' (only)
  • 'home biodegradable'
  • 'home compostable'
  • 'suitable for home composting'
  • TUV OK Compost 'HOME' certification mark
  • Din Certco 'HOME COMPOSTABLE' certification mark

NOTE: If testing multiple items together please ensure they are an identical type and brand (one type and brand of item per net bag).

2. Prepare your experiment equipment

To make locating your experiment items in your compost easier, please compost your items in a plastic net bag (the kind of net bag used to hold fruit in a supermarket would be ideal). Use a permanent marker pen to identify your items on a plastic milk bottle cap (or similar) and add to your net bag. To test fruit and veg stickers please stick each label on a plastic milk bottle cap first then add to your net bag. Use a permanent marker pen to identify them. You will have the option to upload photographs of your composter and experiment equipment to help us analyse your results. See our Photography Guidelines for more information.

NOTE: Please ensure you use a perforated net bag. This is so a sufficient flow of oxygen, organic waste and microorganisms can come into contact with your experiment items.

3. Create a login account

Create a login account and share a few extra details about what composter you will be using for the experiment, its location in the UK for our Live Composting Map, and your composting method. Please set the duration of your experiment according to how long it usually takes you to make compost. There is the option to share photos of your composter and experiment items and equipment, if you wish. Please indicate on your form if you would like to share your images on the Big Compost Experiment website. See our Photography Guidelines for more information.

4. Start your experiment

Securely close the net bag containing your experiment items and identifying markers and add to your composter. Carry on composting as usual. We'll send you an email reminder when your experiment is due to finish and it's time to look for your net bag and items.

5. Submit your results

When your experiment timer has finished, please look for the net bag and items in your compost. You can use a trowel, spade or household sieve to locate it. Under 18s must be accompanied by a responsible adult. Check the contents of your net bag for any traces of your items. If there are any traces please compare them with our 'Scale of Degradation' in the results form in your login account and share any other useful observations about your experiment. There is the option to share a photo of your results. Please indicate on your form if you would like to share your image(s) on the Big Compost Experiment website. See our Photography Guidelines for more information.

NOTE: Once you have completed your experiment, please dispose of any item remains in your general waste collection. Check locally for recylability of other experiment equipment and rinse before recycling.

How to take a photograph of your experiment equipment

Pre- and post-composted items and equipment

  1. Place your biodegradable or compostable items on a clean surface alongside any secondary packaging (if applicable) and net bag. A contrasting surface is preferable (i.e. one on which the items will stand out).
  2. Orientate items and packaging (if applicable) in order to capture any compostable labelling or certification marks (if displayed). If testing multiple items together please ensure they are an identical type and brand (one type/brand of item per net bag).
  3. Position your camera approximately 1 metre above the objects. Position items clearly within the viewfinder of your camera or camera phone, so that all edges of items are visible. Please ensure no recognisable features (people, faces, house number, etc.) are visible in the image.
  4. Take a photograph (while keeping your hand steady!)
  5. Upload photographs via your login account, with the option to display them on our Gallery page.