What do shampoo bottles, Vanish tubs, and Nesquik lids have in common with Vogue magazine and Fortnum & Mason? If you ask designer and founder Charlie Rudkin-Wilson, the answer is Müll.Club—a fast-growing startup that transforms discarded plastic into sculptural homeware now recognized by some of Britain’s top luxury names.
As seen in Millionaire MNL, Müll.Club isn’t just about recycling—it’s about redefining what waste can become. From coasters to soap dishes to rings, each item is made from plastic that once lived in kitchen drawers or bathroom bins. Now, those same materials are being sold in museum shops, independent retailers, and featured in global fashion press.
Where trash meets high design
A graduate of fine art and former sustainability consultant for the TV and film industry, Rudkin-Wilson launched Müll.Club during the pandemic. What began as a refill store in London evolved into a material innovation lab—melting down donated packaging and reshaping it into functional objects with rich, marbled textures.
Among the bestsellers: “The Greek,” a £16 ($21) soap dish made from used yogurt and porridge pots, and the £14 ($18) “Take Out” coasters, created using single-use cutlery and clear food containers.
“There’s a lot of color alchemy that goes into making sure these products are beautiful—and they work,” she said.
Vogue-approved, sustainability-led
Müll.Club’s designs have landed features in British Vogue, which dubbed the company “the revolution of stylish sustainability.” The startup also partners with Fortnum & Mason, creating trays and coasters using the brand’s signature turquoise plastic packaging waste.
As seen in Millionaire MNL, Müll.Club is not just creating goods—it’s building a visible, trackable ecosystem around reuse. An online portal allows donors to follow the journey of their waste, including weight and estimated carbon savings. The results have attracted collaborations with major names like Lush, who provided 32 kilograms of plastic that were turned into 2,000 upcycled hair combs.
The startup now operates out of a workshop in Margate, a creative hub on England’s southeast coast, with future plans to build out a new production facility that can scale larger batches and support furniture design.
From yogurt pots to circular economy
While Müll.Club’s product design is central to the brand, Rudkin-Wilson says its mission goes deeper: to challenge the very perception of plastic as worthless.
“Can you imagine someone’s yogurt pot ending up in Vogue—just in a different form?” she said.
The company is now in the process of raising £250,000 to expand its operations, invest in new machinery, and build a marketing engine that can bring Müll.Club to a broader global audience. Conversations are already underway with a luxury car brand, interested in repurposing bonnet lining materials into new products.
Long-term, Rudkin-Wilson believes businesses need to rethink how they handle plastic—both before and after products hit the shelves. “We’ll see more private companies emerging to do what traditional recycling systems can’t,” she said.
With its combination of design storytelling, traceable impact, and creative reuse, Müll.Club is proving that sustainability doesn’t have to be beige—or boring.
Source: cnbc.com
