London’s discarded coffee cups transformed into building material

Approximately 840 disposable coffee cups are required to produce one square metre of Cupsan. This figure represents the material density of Blast Studio's approach to transforming urban waste into functional biomaterial.

Blast Studio has developed Cupsan at the intersection of biomaterial science and circular design. The material begins as post-consumer coffee cup waste: paper fibres that have already been processed and used. Through a partnership with a local waste management company, these cups are diverted from the waste stream.

The cups are shredded and sterilised, returning them to a paper pulp state. This pulp is bound with a plastic-free binder to create a composite material that behaves structurally like medium-density fibreboard whilst maintaining stone-like tactile properties.

Depending on surface treatment, fragments of the original cups remain visible in the final material. Each batch varies based on the composition of the source waste. The material retains evidence of its origins rather than concealing them.

The material integrates into existing craft systems. It can be worked with conventional tools and joined with familiar techniques. This compatibility reflects a principle that circular materials should work within inherited knowledge systems rather than requiring entirely new fabrication methods.

At Dulcie, we recognise this approach as parallel to our own philosophy of working with what exists. Just as we have long explored the potential of coastal waste streams and overlooked marine resources, Blast Studio applies similar thinking to urban waste infrastructure. Both practices ask the same question: what becomes possible when we treat waste not as a disposal problem but as a material resource with specific properties and potential applications.

This approach to circularity shares common ground with how we at Dulcie think about community responsibility. Blast Studio's hyperlocal model demonstrates that sustainability is fundamentally about strengthening connections within existing systems. Whether transforming coffee cup waste into building materials or supporting food redistribution networks, the principle remains the same: nothing should be considered disposable when systems can be designed to keep resources in productive use.

This aligns with broader questions about material sourcing and production that inform our work at Dulcie. Whether working with seaweed, algae, or discarded coffee cups, the underlying principle remains consistent: understanding local waste streams as potential feedstock requires both technical development and a shift in how we perceive discarded materials.

Those 840 cups per square metre represent a measurable transformation of urban waste into functional material. Cupsan makes this transformation concrete and applicable.

References: Blast Studio