Entrepreneur Makes Eco-Paint from Oyster Shells [Video]

Noticing how considerable amounts of oyster are merely discarded on the fields as waste, supposedly because they are not fit for consumption, Martine Lelu decided to take matters into her own hands and work out a way to make the most out of these natural resources which simply get thrown out by the food industry.

Thus, she decided to use the shells of these oysters to make an environmentally-friendly type of paint. As Martine Lelu explains, “People took me for a dreamer at first,” but as time went on, her business developed and her eco-paints finally entered the markets.

Apparently, in order to make the Ostrea Route paint, the shells need first be crushed so that they turn into a white powder, and then mixed with pine resin and soybean oil.

Interestingly enough, it seems that Martine Lelu's paints dry in just about 60 seconds and last much longer than petroleum-based ones.