I would like to remind my friends and family that I'm writing this blog and putting these ideas out there for anyone who is looking for ideas to reduce waste. I know plenty of people with Keurig's and I'm not going to yell at you or be upset if I go to your house and you throw out your k-cups. For me, recycling the k-cups works with my personal lifestyle, but maybe at this time doesn't for you.
If you go through tons of k-cups every day, perhaps you are wondering how you can cut back on the waste? First of all, if you compost food, you can open up your k-cups and put the coffee grounds in (I personally don't compost though). Here are three possible options I've thought of for reducing your k-cup waste:
1. Don't use k-cups with your Keurig
2. Recycle your k-cups
3. Buy more eco-conscious brands
1. Don't use K-cups with your Keurig:
- Buy tea bags or loose leaf tea and get instant hot water from the Keurig.
- Buy a reusable coffee ground filter, like this one:
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| Made by the Keurig brand but many other options are available |
- Buy your own coffee to put in the coffee filter.
- Maybe you really like k-cups for the different flavors they come in, you don't want just plain coffee:
- Get flavored syrups! I found three made by Starbucks at Bed Bath And Beyond: vanilla, hazelnut and caramel. They also have suger-free options. They cost $9.99 each and come in #1 plastic bottles. I'm sure there are many more coffee syrup options out there. I put them on this cute glass prep board because sometimes they drip a little, and it's super easy to clean off.
- Flavored k-kups like the hot chocolate, chai latte, mocha latte, etc. (the Keurig brand calls them Cafe Escapes) are not actually brewing anything. They are just filled with instant power that is dissolved in the water. There are many options out there to buy similar things in bulk containers (many of those containers are probably recyclable, but even if they are not, it still overall cuts down on the waste of individual plastic cups). You spoon the appropriate amount into your mug, fill with hot water from the Keurig, stir, done.
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| One option that I bought at Giant, instead of the chai latte k-cups |
- PROS: No plastic cups. Also you will probably save money buying coffee in bulk since k-cups can be pretty expensive.
- CONS: If using a reusable coffee filter, it takes longer, is more messy and more dish cleaning every time you have a cup of coffee. Some people do not think their coffee tastes as good or is as strong compared to the k-cups. Also, you will not have lots of different coffee options at any given time.
2. Recycle your K-cups:
- Remove the top foil, the coffee, and the coffee filter with your fingers. Throw out or compost.
- PROS: Free!
- CONS: Takes some time and gets your fingers covered in coffee grounds. I did this for a week or so and I got very tired of it quickly.
- Recycle A Cup quickly and easily removes the top along with the coffee and coffee filter.
- PROS: Quick and easy. No mess. I've had one for a few days now and I love it! It's pretty fun to use.
- CONS: Costs $12.99 from their website. I saw comparable prices on Amazon.
- Both methods require you to wait a little bit as the k-cup is too hot to comfortably hold right away.
- Once separated by either method, recycle the plastic cup if your area takes #7 plastics (least common one for places to take since #7 means it's just a mix of other plastics)
- They don't actually have the recycle number on them (not the ones I buy at least).
- According to these sites they are #7:
- http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2014/03/coffee-k-cups-green-mountain-polystyrene-plastic
- https://www.recycleacup.com/recycling/
- I reached out to my township and asked if I could recycle them since they were supposedly #7, but did not have the recycle symbol on them. They said yes I could!
- If your area does not take them, you can collect them and a few times a year ship them to the Recycle A Cup company for them to recycle (address here), or perhaps find a recycling facility close by that will accept them.
3. Buy more eco-conscious brands:
- San Fransisco Bay coffee sells "OneCup" without the plastic. This means the coffee filter is exposed so you should keep them in a clean spot with an air tight seal.
- Claims 97% bio-degradable
- I have not tried them yet so I can't give opinions on their taste.
- I have been unsuccessful in finding other k-cup brands that are easily recyclable or bio-degradable. Please tell me if you know of any others.
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