Inevitably, this leads to a lot of trash.
Every cup of java brewed creates a conundrum: what to do with the coffee pod that produced it.
To start, can it be recycled?
An assortment of Keurig K-cup pods© Lester Balajadia/Shutterstock
The answer, in Keurigs case, is not really.
A new coffee pod company claims to have developed a solution to Keurigs plastic waste problem.
But even aluminum, with all its benefits, is still going to have issues.
Another problem is the plastic composition of most K-cup pods.
Sustainability concerns have followed the Keurig brand closely as it has scaled.
But the company has run into trouble for touting recyclability.
(Keurig settled the claim by agreeing to pay a $1.5 million penalty fee.)
Aluminum is also impervious to oxygen, which causes coffee to lose its flavor over time.
Whenever we brew a cup of coffee, it tastes exactly as the roastmaster intended, said Hartley.
Cambio isnt the first single-serve coffee company to opt to ditch plastic or invest in circularity.
But Nespresso pods only work in Nespresso machines.
Cambio also allows users to peel back the lid and dump out the grounds before recycling.
Unfortunately, swapping plastic for aluminum doesnt automatically solve K-cup pods recyclability crisis, experts say.
After collection, recyclables are sorted at a facility known as a materials recovery facility, or MRF.
The K-cups are so small that they fall through the machinery in many recycling facilities, said Pare.
So other than separating coffee pods from the waste stream individually, theres no good way to recycle them.
Cambios approach to working around this is two-pronged.
(These instructions dont currently appear on Cambios packaging or website.)
Cambio says it is also developing a unit that will make this stacking and pinching of used K-cups easier.
Think of the pods like confetti: impossible to collect back up.
To Cambio and consumers, these two facts are meaningful.
Hartley also shared that the work of ensuring Cambios compatibility with recycling programs across the country is ongoing.
The company is planning to run tests with MRFs in specific markets as soon as feasible.
The spokesperson also said the company is continually exploring more sustainable packaging options.
Dell leads the nonprofit The Last Beach Cleanup, which is focused on fighting plastic pollution.
Hartley said he worked on that product for many years, calling it an amazing innovation.
But its a big lift, and it takes decades.
No pods required maybe just a filter.
This article originally appeared inGristathttps://grist.org/food-and-agriculture/why-its-so-hard-to-create-a-truly-recyclable-keurig-coffee-pod/.
Grist is a nonprofit, independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future.
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