Biodegradable Coffee Cups Embedded With Seeds Grow Into Trees When Thrown Away

A creative company in California called Reduce. Reuse. Grow has designed a coffee cup that is not only biodegradable but even has seeds in its walls so that it can be planted and grown into tree saplings and flowers!

The eco-friendly cups, which are currently part of a Kickstarter campaign, will have seeds embedded in their walls based on their locations. Participating stores will encourage people to plant the cups themselves or to return them to be planted by the company.

Read on for designer Alex Henige’s answers to some of Bored Panda’s questions about his unique design cups!

More info: planttrash.com | Kickstarter (h/t: laughingsquid)

“We have such a diverse ecosystem here that we can test over 1000 species pretty much all in our backyard with some of the world’s leading soil scientists, and eco gurus,” Alex Henige explained to Bored Panda. “This is where we will work out all the details and be able to start testing growing plants of other regions to make the process run smoother.”

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“We have done testing with only a handful of native wildflower seeds here in California as related to coffee heat. We have had no problem with their germination because they are not coming in direct contact with the coffee itself.”

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“The liner, as well as the paper, absorbs a lot of the heat, allowing the seeds not to be effected directly.”

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“We do know that there are a handful of seeds that will make it no problem, due to the nature in which they are meant for in the wild, very hardy and durable. However, with a majority of the seeds, it will take time to really lock in the temperatures and times exposed to these temps to all operate and germinate properly.”

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“This is a product I stand behind fully, and I look forward to seeing where and how this smart invention develops within the next couple of months!.”

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