HOW TO: Build a Vertical Garden With Old Coffee Cups

The Naturwall allows anyone to create a custom vertical garden using disposable coffee cups. Photo: Behance Network

Vertical gardens are a fun way to bring greenery indoors or to small patios and yards.

Now Turkish design firm Designnobis has created a living wall system with an upcycled twist: Their Naturwall allows anyone to create their own vertical garden using disposable coffee cups.

Rather than ending up in the landfill, coffee cups take on a second life as plant pots in the Naturwall system, which includes an aluminum metal frame with 10-12 cup holders. Users can set up the living wall in any arrangement that fits the size and type of their plants.

Designnobis believes that these vertical garden systems benefit the environment by not only reducing plastic waste, but also by increasing the number of plants indoors and in small outdoor spaces, which can help absorb carbon emissions.

The Naturwall received the 2008 Green Dot Build Award, which recognizes innovative design and architecture that achieves the highest level of environmental responsibility.

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