An ingenious idea developed by a small team based in California, USA that goes by the name of Reduce. Reuse. Grow. might turn around some of our greatest waste problems.

Namely, they have devised a clever new type of coffee cup with seeds inside the walls. Therefore, as soon as you are done, you can plant the cup and the seeds grow.

What’s more, the seeds in the cup are local to the region, meaning that the plants grown will be appropriate for the local ecosystem! Incredible!

CEO Alex Henige of the company Reduce. Reuse. Grow. (RRG) has developed these alternative paper cups. The company branched off of Restoration Packaging who helped to kickstart and fund the new environmentally-friendly cups.

RRG’s Kickstarter allowed customers to buy products other than the coffee cups to help fund the company’s research for more seeds able to withstand the process of becoming a coffee cup and being stable enough to be planted afterward.

These products involved shirts, hats, and framed pictures of healthy landscapes of varying sizes, and in this way, RRG was able to get $21,000 to get their company off the ground and help the Earth with its cups.

According to the Restoration Packaging website, all of their products are designed with the most sustainable resources and manufacturing techniques currently available in the disposables industry.

Moreover, they are 100% compostable and recyclable, and with each product served, the carbon footprint is offset with local restoration efforts and landscape beautification.

The project addresses an alarming waste issue, as billions of beverage containers are thrown away annually, causing a terrible mess.

According to a 2018 Statista study, Americans drink around two cups of coffee daily, and the billions of paper cups consumed end up in landfills and oceans. The Boston Globe estimates that, on average, these cups take over 20 years to decompose in landfills.

In oceans, the cups only take a few days to decompose, but the issue is that they are made with dangerous elemental components, including polyethylene and chlorine dioxide.

Styrofoam, which is a commonly used material for hot beverage containers, is something of an ecological nightmare. Namely, it breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces which blow away on the breeze, causing widespread pollution, or ending up possibly eaten by animals.

Additionally, you can also try eggshells for seed planting, because as they break down, the plants get the calcium.

Sources:
off-grid.info
thestatetimes.com
www.restorationpackaging.com