Minute on the clock: Mark Ciavola, founder and potter, Potters Thumb

It all started with a chat with Doug [McMaster, founder of zero-waste restaurant Silo in London]. About eight years ago, I had a pottery workshop in Brighton and Silo was in Brighton at that time too. I sat down with Doug, who was frustrated that not all of his restaurant was zero-waste, including his crockery, and we spoke about how we can turn used wine bottles and glass into something else.

I know silicon dioxide is present in both glass and ceramics, so we took that as the common factor and then kept investigating and developing it. We made loads of errors, but it's been seven years in the making and we now have this product we can use in Silo and other restaurants.

It has become a bit of obsession, looking at the ways I can exploit crushed glass and create a new tool, which I think is much needed in our time. Glass is used so much in hospitality but so often it's used once or is broken and thrown away.

How did you and McMaster come to work together?

Well, it was bit of cheek from my part! When I was in Brighton I was looking for more clients and I came across a social media post from Silo and I commented, "Great food! Shame about the plates!" I then got a message from Doug saying: "We have to talk, we have to meet," and that was eight or so years ago.

I do think it can be a shame when chefs put in so much work into getting the flavours right and then they present their food on generic plates that makes the dish look so regular. So, to give food the prestige and to show respect for all that work, you need to have it on something that is as equally as exciting.

Your workshop is in Silo and you supply them with crockery – who else do you supply?

We supply a mixture of cafés, cocktail bars and restaurants and it's always interesting to speak to the business owners or chefs, who all have an individual take on how they want their food and drinks presented; it's such a treat to explore that with them.

Apart from Silo, other London venues we supply include Lyaness in South Bank and Caia in Notting Hill. Outside of London, clients include Land Restaurant and Couch, both in Birmingham, and the Little Fish Restaurant in Brighton.

Why is sustainable crockery important for restaurants?

There is a lot of waste in the hospitality industry. Glass and crockery breakages happen but we need to start taking responsibility to understand how to operate in a sustainable way and in a closed-loop system. The products I create are in that system because if they break they can be crushed and remodelled into crockery again.

It's important to look at all different aspects of what can be brought back into the system and be reused rather than going in the bin. We have a mantra here at Silo which is waste equals zero imagination because, with real imagination, you can find a solution for most things.

I also believe there's a lovely story that restaurants can tell customers that the wine or beer they consume from the glassbottles of today are going to be the crockery of tomorrow.

Have you had any unusual crockery requests?

I did, a barista wanted me to produce cups and saucers and glass spoons. The spoons came up much nicer than I expected – they looked like a Roman glass relic. They were so easy to hold and felt like soft marble.

What does the future hold for Potters Thumb?

Hard work! Aside from the pottery making, I will continue to find solutions on how best we can reuse glass and process it. I am also looking at how we can adapt the same processes with glass to apply them to building materials and prevent them from going to landfill.