This is so cool! My immediate thoughts:

  • There are a lot of little tchotchkes in my life that use way more plastic than is necessary for their use/lifespan. Molding decorative items in this way would be great. Being able to give people things and explain “Keep it around for as long as you want as a decorative item and then Return It To The Earth” would be neat. (Obviously you’d need to make sure to get a lot of use out of the mold for its plastic material to not just move the impact of the tchotchke)
  • What pigments are safe for composting? You could mix some in or paint on the surface, particularly if you wanted to make it somewhat more water-resistant with an oil.
  • Are biodegradable/compostable adhesives available in more DIY-friendly quantities than, like, this?
  • It seems like the form of e.g. a skull would need to be molded in multiple pieces. After you’d glued them together, you’d have to use hand-molded papier mache to conceal the seam, I’d imagine. How well would that blend in?
  • How would the properties of this material vary if you use something wimpier as a vice, like the weight of furniture?
  • How could larger molds be created without 3d printing? With only 3d-printed parts for detail? I’m gonna go ahead and assume the silicone mold-making path wouldn’t work for obvious reasons
  • Oh damn you could hide (unsquishable) stuff inside the pulp for witch purposes