The beauty of clay, as an art material, is that it can be recycled. It is the responsibility of each clay student to put any used materials in the proper location so they can be recycled or properly disposed of.

The problem:
There are four buckets to choose from.

The essential question is:
How does one decide where to put excess clay?

The solution:
Understand what kind of clay each bucket is designed to collect and dispose of it accordingly.

Our recycling system is based on sorting the clay by 3 moisture levels, with a fourth option for any clay that has been contaminated by foreign material.

Let's look at each option...

The bone dry bucket is for clay that is completely void of moisture. It is often light colored and chalky, breaking and crumbling under pressure.

Please note that anything that has been through the kiln can no longer be recycled and should NOT BE PUT IN THIS BUCKET.

The slip container is for clay that has very little structure and is high in water content. It often has the appearance of pudding.

Please note this bucket is not for dirty water even though you may see a bit of water from time to time. Dirty water gets poured down the drain.

The large pug bucket is a catch-all, of sorts, for everything in between bone dry and slip. The clay can be firm enough to snap like a bone dry piece, but should still contain moisture. It can also be coated with a slimy layer of slip as long as it has structure to it, it belongs to in this bucket.

The trash is for any clay material that has been contaminated by foreign materials. Remember that whatever goes into the recycling buckets will end up in your projects. Some materials like needles and x-acto blades pose a serious risk to our safety, so if you are unsure it is best to play it safe and through the clay in the trash.

Now, let's see if you can figure out which bucket each of the following clay piles belongs in...

If you chose the pug bucket, you are correct. This clay is dark and shiny, which shows it has moisture. It also holds it form, therefore it still has structure.

If you chose the bone dry bucket, you are correct. This clay is lightly colored and chalky. It has crumbled under pressure and contains absolutely no moisture.

If you selected the trash for this pile, you are absolutely correct. Foreign objects are contaminating the clay and it contains a pin, which would be very dangerous to have in your clay while throwing on the wheel.

If you chose the slip bucket, you are correct. This clay is high in moisture content, slimy and lacking any structure. It is also roughly the consistency of pudding.

You now have all the knowledge necessary to be a responsible clay student, making the most of your materials and keeping the clay room safe!