K-Cups Single Use Coffee Packaging Generate Significant Waste

 

Interesting story in the NYT last week regarding the increasingly popular single use coffee pods known as K-Cups for Keurig coffee machines.

K-Cups are designed to be single use servings of coffee and are small plastic containers filled with ground coffee which fit into single serving brewing sytems like the Keurig coffee machines.

As the machines have become more and more popular in the US - thanks to help from major retailers like QVC who often features the machines on television, questions have been raised over what to do about the packaging waste.

Single use packaging like the K-Cups results in tons and tons of used plastic K-Cups ending up in the trash system.  A major player in the K-Cup market is Green Mountain Coffee Roasters - a company I've covered extensively on SISG.  They have been leaders in more sustainable packaging in the coffee industry - with one big exception - the K-Cup.

The Times reported 80% of Green Mountain Coffee's $803 million in sales last year came from single use coffee pods and their brewing systems.  So obivously the K-Cup is big money for Green Mountain Coffee.

But Green Mountain has led the charge in re-configuring consumer store packed coffee - incorporating PLA into their packaging and working towards further sustainable improvements.  So why can't they devise a more sustainable method for their K-Cups?

According to the NYT the company is currently working on methods to make the whole K-Cup process more sustainable.  Options include the use of biodegradable packaging, recycling programs and making the cups reusable in some fashion.

We'll continue to follow this story.  I've always thought the whole single serving coffee concept was interesting except for the waste it generates.

Comments

[Ecover US Blog]

These K cups are really catching on ... so if companies like Green Mountain can find a way to make them biodegradable it would make a world of difference. Thanks for the thought-provoking post.
-Deb for Ecover

[Fraser Sullivan]

We are absolutely AGAINST K-Cups. They waste waste waste. A mid-sized office coffee vendor in Toronto sells over 1.5 MILLION of these a year and they go right into the landfill. They will always be unrecyclable unless users strip the foil from the K-Cup, which is not going to happen. Good luck with biodegradeable unless you can find a plastic that can hold up to the heat. Then what about production and packaging waste with these things? How about a coffee maker with fresh beans, freshly ground and brewed.
Keurig is happy, they make 7 cents on their K-Cup patent but profit ahead of everything else. And you don't need to have crappy coffee at work, just go to a local roaster and get them to supply you with some equipment and delivered fresh-roasted every week.

[Erin]

We have been interested in buying a single-serve coffee machine, but have put if off due to the waste they generate. We had hope that the Nescafe Dolce Gusto machine's capsules would be recyclable or biodegradable, but alas. As much information as I am finding on the internet, you would think someone would take advantage of the buzz... Here's hoping.

[coffee machines melbourne]

Nice post, thank you. The coffee machines are so popular today that it will be introduced to more families in the future. I have been the barista for several years, and i am also going to purchase the coffee machine for my house.

[Latte Maker]

Disposable coffee capsules can be recycling but only if to release them of aluminum foil. I have read a lot of discussions about this item. There are really many people who do this – they release capsules from foil and send them to the recycling. However if people buy these disposable capsules to save time and prepare coffee quickly and easy but after spend much time with these capsules… That seems a little bit irrational.

[casino en ligne]

They could unfailingly be unrecyclable unless users strip the foil from the K-Cup, which is not heading off to happen.