A broken plate or chipped cup usually has little value once it can no longer be used. In many places, such pieces are simply thrown away, joining a much larger stream of household and industrial waste. Jingdezhen, China's historic porcelain centre, is taking a different approach to some of its discarded ceramics. Broken pieces from the city's porcelain industry are being collected, crushed and processed into material that can be fired again. The recycled substance is now being used in products ranging from vases and planters to tableware and architectural materials. The practice is giving an old material a new role while addressing a growing waste problem.
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