The Betacup Challenge: Building a better coffee cup

What can be done to solve the problem of the 58 billion coffee cups that are thrown away each year? In a pro-sustainability move, coffee giant Starbucks has thrown its weight behind the Betacup Challenge, a design competition dedicated to building a more sustainable coffee cup.

Entries in the competition run the gamut from practical to ridiculous, a mix of reusable cups and sustainable disposable cups.

This one, called the "Cococup," suggests that coconut hull could be used as a naturally sourced, biodegradable material for coffee cups. If thrown away into special "Cocobins," the designer foresees them as recyclable, too, easy to break down and reconstruct into new cups.