While recycling has become an integral part in the lives of urban dwellers, there is still an absence of recycling organic waste in bigger cities. This might sound like an ‘obsessiveness towards recycling’, but designer Matthew Waldman of Nooka decided to go an extra mile to make a difference. He saved up his used ground coffee for a year to combine his passion for recycling with design, resulting in the birth of an eco-friendly planter called POTHRA. “Living in New York City is a bit frustrating as there is little or no recycling for organic refuse,” says Waldman. “When organic garbage is put in a landfill sequestered by plastic bags, it does not bio-degrade and return to the soil.”
After a series of trials and errors, Waldman found a right balance of resin and coffee particles to create a terracotta-like substance which gave rise to this unique flower pot. “This unique flower pot brings a new use of an otherwise wasted material, turning an everyday cup of coffee into a functional item that challenges this consumption-oriented world with the idea that eco-friendly need not be ugly. Each piece is unique – different roasts of coffee interact with the resin in surprising and beautiful ways, creating a collection of hand cast individual pieces – where no two look the same.”
The designer aims at creating numerous eco-friendly products on a global scale by utilizing tons of used coffee grounds produced by consumers and coffee shops. “Like most design professionals, we are obsessed with good coffee. Like many designers, we view every process in life as an opportunity to re-invent.” Simply Brilliant!!!
