In California, a startup has developed biodegradable coffee cups embedded with tree seeds.
Reduce.Reuse.Grow was founded by CEO Alex Henige in an effort to connect people “back to the landscapes [they] live in.” The idea has been featured by Huffington Post and was the subject of a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2015, raising $21,000.
The cups themselves are made from polylactic acid embedded with different seeds, depending on what is native to the distribution region.
Henige says he founded the company because he was disturbed by the amount of litter he saw along the road. Over 146 billion coffee cups are thrown out in America every year.
Henige told Bored Panda the company has tested several seeds to check to see if they are damaged by the heat, and no impact on germination was found. However, the company deliberately uses “hardy and durable” varieties.