Revolutionizing Waste: 3D Printing with Tea and Coffee Residues

A creative collaboration among Taiwanese designers Chao-Chun Kung, Ching-Yu Lin, and Chen-Yang Chang is transforming discarded food and drink remnants into innovative design pieces. Their project, titled After the Last Sip, showcases how used tea leaves from London bubble tea shops and spent coffee grounds from local cafés can be repurposed into art and functional furniture.

By drying and grinding these residues, the team combines them with polylactic acid (PLA) to create experimental materials. They then utilize parametric design and large-scale robotic 3D printing at Fab.Pub to craft unique sculptural objects, retaining the raw textures and printed layers that reveal their origins.

The exhibition, running from September 12 to 18, 2026, during the London Design Festival, features several standout pieces. Kung's CHA / 茶 draws from Taiwanese tea culture, while Lin's Undetermined Shore employs coffee grounds to mimic Taiwan's coastal landscapes. Chang’s works, Nexus Bloom and Unfolding Bloom, explore intricate geometries through digital design.

Alongside the finished creations, the exhibition will display material samples and insights into the design process, highlighting both successes and challenges faced during development.

Source: www.designboom.com