1. Coffee cups with plant seeds
Do you drink coffee? What about your friends or work colleagues? Most likely, the answer to at least one question will be yes. Now let’s imagine how many disposable coffee cups are thrown into the trash cans every day and how long it takes for them to be naturally recycled. Years, tens, hundreds! Meanwhile. coffee productivity is only thriving and scaling. Scary, agree?
In 2015, a Californian company proposed a new method of combating environmental pollution by “coffee lovers” – biodegradable cups with plant seeds.
The company has developed an eco-friendly, biodegradable paper cup containing plant seeds. It is made from recycled paper, where, thanks to impregnation technology, plant seeds are “imprinted” into the walls of this object. Directly on the cup is written instructions that say that it can be disposed of in several ways. The first is to soak for a few minutes in plain water, soaking the paper with moisture, and then bury it in the ground in your garden plot for further seed germination. The second option is to simply throw the glass on the ground, where for a long time (but not as long as in the case of an ordinary glass) it will be able to completely decompose without harming the environment, but on the contrary, fertilizing the earth, allowing new life to sprout.
A great idea for taking care of nature and greening the city!
2. Herbal paper
Didn’t finish breakfast, bought vegetables and fruits, and now you are worried about the safety of food? Each of us is familiar with this. We all want to have fresh food in our own kitchen. But what if plastic bags are not only an environmental pollutant, but also a poor helper in the kitchen, as the products in them quickly become unusable?
Indian Kavita Shukla came up with a way out of the situation. Kavita decided to open a startup to develop Freshpaper, which is infused with organic spices to keep fruits, vegetables, berries and herbs fresh for longer. The composition of such paper contains various types of spices that prevent the growth of bacteria on products, thereby maintaining their quality for a long time. The size of one such sheet is 15 * 15 cm. To use it, you just need to put or wrap something in paper that can quickly deteriorate.
3. Eco-packaging with beeswax
American Sarah Keek has created reusable beeswax-based food storage packaging that allows food to stay fresh for a long time.
“I just wanted to keep the products from my farm fresh as long as possible so that they would not lose their beneficial vitamins and properties,” the girl said.
This packaging is made from cotton material with the addition of jojoba oil, beeswax and tree resin, which can be washed and reused after use. Upon contact with hands, the eco-packaging material becomes slightly sticky, which allows it to take and hold the shapes of those objects with which it interacts..
4. Eco-friendly toilet
Engineers at the California Institute have come up with the idea of a toilet that uses solar energy to convert all waste into hydrogen and fertilizer, making it possible to keep these public spaces clean and environmentally friendly at all times.
5. Farm of worms
Maria Rodriguez, a resident of Guatemala, at the age of 21 invented a method that allows you to process waste using ordinary worms.
“We were studying science and the teacher was talking about different methods of waste treatment. He started talking about worms and the idea just popped into my mind,” she said.
As a result, Maria has created a giant worm farm that feeds on waste and produces fertilizer in large quantities. Worms “work” not in vain, the resulting fertilizers are perfect for the soil in areas of Central America.