12 Ways To Repurpose K-Cups To Make Your Coffee Habit Work For You

For most people, mornings are hectic. Unless you've managed to get your routine down to a science, you're likely running around trying to get to work or drop your kids off at school on time. In these situations, convenience is king, and pod-based coffee machines are one of the easiest and quickest routes to getting your caffeine fix. All you have to do is pop in the pod, click a button, and enjoy your morning brew. These machines are incredibly popular — the global market value of coffee pods and capsules is currently sitting at over $34 billion, according to Straits Research — but unfortunately, that convenience comes at a cost.

If you're trying to become more environmentally friendly, you should first start by evaluating your daily routine. Pod-based coffee machines produce quite a bit of plastic waste, especially if you drink multiple cups a day, and the pods themselves can't just be tossed in the recycling bin after you're done using them. You don't have to stop using K-Cups immediately to work toward a change, however. Instead, consider giving your coffee pods new life elsewhere in your home. Whether you use them as a tool for gardening or as a base for a decorative craft, repurposing your used coffee pods can help reduce your negative environmental impact and give a second life to an item that would otherwise be single-use.

Starting seeds instead of buying plants can help you save a ton of money and have a more hands-on gardening experience, but investing in a brand-new setup just to cultivate seedlings can get expensive. Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to DIY your own seed starting tools, including this creative coffee pod idea. After you're done using your pod, remove the foil, empty out the grounds, and use it as a tiny pot for your seed. The bottom already has a hole for drainage, and once it's sprouted, you can easily remove and plant your seedling.

Painting, whether you're creating a piece of art or touching up scuffs on your walls, can get messy. To make the process run a bit more smoothly, try using coffee pods as paint cups. Empty the coffee pod, seal the hole on the bottom with tape, and use the cup as a portable container to mix and transport your paint. Before attempting this, however, it is very important to ensure your coffee pod is thoroughly cleaned. Unless you're going for a unique texture, it's likely you don't want to be left with coffee grounds in your paint.

Coffee pods make a great base for small crafting projects because they're accessible, lightweight, and fairly simple in design, and this adorable Christmas ornament idea is the perfect example. Pick up some clear, fillable ornaments, a pack of pom poms, and red paint. Clean out your coffee pod, making sure to remove all of the coffee grounds in the process, and then allow it to fully dry. Paint your coffee pod red, and then fill the clear ornament with your pom poms. Finally, glue the two pieces together to create your very own mini gumball machine Christmas ornament.

Coffee pods can be used to grow real plants, but they can act as a base for faux plants, too. After giving your coffee pod a coat of paint and decorating it to match your style, place a small piece of foam inside the cup and glue it down. Cut down some faux flowers or foliage, and then insert the wire stems into the foam. Once you're happy with the look of your little pot, you can leave it as is and display it on a shelf, or glue on a magnet to attach it to your refrigerator.

Setting up an Advent calendar ahead of Christmas is a great way to engage kids and get them excited about the upcoming holiday, but many options are overpriced, have disappointing prizes, or both. Instead, consider creating your own that's guaranteed to impress. For this idea, you'll need to collect and clean out 25 coffee pods, so it's best to start saving up well ahead of the holiday season. Fill them with small prizes, like candies, toys, or even cash; cover the openings; and attach them to a board to use once the countdown to Christmas officially begins.

Attracting hummingbirds to your yard is often as simple as incorporating more color into your space, but once they arrive, it's important to have items that will keep them coming back. Something that's fantastic for this job — as well as the aesthetics of your outdoor area and the other wildlife that might stop by — is this DIY hummingbird watering fountain. You'll need to gather some materials first, like a shoebox, a soldering iron, glue, scissors, a solar water pump, and of course, a coffee pod, but the actual assembly of this fountain is fairly quick and easy.

Decorating with string lights can help to bring some additional color and coziness to your space, but if you want to upgrade a plain strand, try adding on some coffee pods. Remove the foil and fully clean out your pods, as per usual, and then paint them to match the theme of your event or space. When you use a coffee pod in a machine, it pokes a hole in the bottom of the cup, so use these holes as spots to insert your lightbulbs, widening them slightly with a pencil or pair of scissors if necessary.

If you're looking for a dose of Hollywood glamor without the matching price tag, consider making your own DIY marquee lights. For this project, you'll need some emptied and cleaned coffee pods, a piece of wood, a drill, and a strand of LED lights. Begin by mapping out your design on the wood, and then drill holes to the width of your LED lights. Poke the bulbs through the holes, drill holes in the bottom of your coffee pods, and top off your lights with the tiny plastic cups to create this unique marquee display.

Want to accessorize your window with a décor piece that's both functional and fashionable? DIY a hanging planter with repurposed coffee pods. Empty out your coffee pods, clean them, and leave them out to dry for a few hours. Give them a coat of paint in your desired color, and then poke some holes along the rim and install a wire so you're able to hang your planter from a hook. Accessorize your hanging planter with some beads at the bottom so it can double as a suncatcher, and then finish it off with a small plant inside the cup. 

Thanks to their high amounts of nitrogen and other micronutrients, coffee grounds can be used as a way to amend your soil and make it more fertile for plants. This idea, however, takes it to the next level. If you have plants with branches that are looking a bit barren, try drilling into a coffee pod and using it as a stint on the branch to encourage new sprouts. If you'd rather amend the soil directly, however, you can also just repurpose the used grounds from inside your coffee pods as fertilizer.

Organizing small items in your office, crafting room, or bathroom can get difficult, but this coffee pod hack can provide a convenient solution. After opening up and cleaning out your coffee pods, place them inside a drawer and use them as organizers for items like paperclips, beads, or bobby pins. These are great to use as an amendment to your existing organizer, especially if the spaces aren't small enough for your items, but you can also use some glue to attach your coffee pods to one another if you want something to fill the entire drawer.

Whether you're ringing in the new year or throwing a birthday party, confetti poppers can bring some interactive fun to your celebration. To make some at home, you'll need only four things: balloons, coffee pods, scissors, and some paper scraps. Tie your balloon, and then use the scissors to cut off a small section at the top. Next, cut out the bottom of your coffee pod. Place the cut balloon over the bottom of the coffee pod, fill the cup with your scraps, and watch the confetti fly when you pull back and release the knot on the balloon.