Broken plates from municipal restaurants in Gaziantep, southeastern Türkiye, are finding new life at the Kayna Soap and Molasses Museum, where they are repaired and transformed into artworks featuring the city’s traditional flavors.

The museum, which opened about 1.5 years ago following the restoration of a historic caravanserai, showcases the production processes of two of Gaziantep’s signature products: soap and molasses.

In addition to hosting various workshops, the museum’s porcelain workshop, led by Behiye Güney, repairs plates accidentally broken in city-run restaurants, giving them a second life through recycling.

At the museum, broken plates are carefully reassembled with special adhesives. Once repaired, the plates are decorated with images of local culinary specialties and later given to visitors as gifts.

Museum curator Hazal Bostancıeri told Anadolu Agency (AA) that they aim to bring the story of soap and molasses to life through hands-on workshops.

"We also educate visitors about the importance of zero waste,” Bostancıeri said. "Olives and grapes are used at every stage, from seed to leaf. They are valuable for human life. Grapes are consumed as fruit or molasses, while the seeds are used for skin care. Through our workshops, visitors gain hands-on experience. In the final stage of our story, the two zero-waste products meet on our recycled plates. All municipal facilities support each other. Here, we repurpose broken plates from gastronomy establishments, decorate them with Gaziantep’s culinary heritage and share the story with our visitors.”

Broken plates recycled

Bostancıeri explained that incoming plates are first sorted according to their condition. "Everything can be reused. A plate may be broken, but it can serve a decorative purpose. We also show visitors how different parts of the grape can be used separately to raise awareness. In today’s world, we must use water and food carefully,” she said.

Porcelain workshop head Behiye Güney added that the repaired and painted plates not only promote tourism but also educate visitors about recycling.

"We paint plates with minor cracks and reassemble broken ones before decorating them. We depict the city’s gastronomy and local products. Nothing goes to waste – even olive and grape byproducts can be used as fuel. Instead of throwing broken plates away, we repair and decorate them to recycle them,” Güney said.