Bicycle made from 300 Nespresso pods

Aluminium and plastic coffee capsules are a nightmare to recycle. Most of them end up in the bin, which is why around 75% are of the 20 billion capsules we use every year are currently being sent to landfill. They take about 150 years to decompose. “Most people don’t understand the irreversible damage these coffee capsules are inflicting on the planet,” says Richard Hardwick, co-founder of Halo, who sell biodegradable capsules made from sugar cane pulp. Nespresso is tackling the problem by making new things out of old capsules. Here’s the latest idea: a bicycle made from the firm’s ubiquitous coffee pods.

After two years of blood, sweat and freshly-ground gears, Swedish bike builder Vélosophy has managed to make a limited edition commuter bike entirely from 300 coffee capsules. The RE:CYCLE (see what they did there?) is, quite literally, the circular economy is action. The bike features a bell in the shape of a coffee pod and a basket with two coffee cup holders. And if you recognise the colour, it’s the same shade of purple used to denote Nespresso’s Arpeggio pods.

To cut down on operations costs, Vélosophy has no bricks ‘n’ mortar show rooms – all it’s sales are online. The savings allows the firm to donate a bicycle to a school girl in the developing world with every bike sold. Not keen on purple? Vélosophy has launched two other sustainable models: Comfort and Sport. Both feature anti-rust chains, smooth shifting 3-speed gears and saddles and grips crafted from vegan leather.

Both bikes are made from standard recycled aluminium, rather than coffee pods. Still, if you want to boost your eco credentials you could always pair your wheels with this rucksack woven from stinging nettles…

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