How to Recycle a Coffee Pod
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How to recycle a coffee pod
So last holiday season we received a pod coffee maker as a gift. I think it is really nifty item and very convenient. But a little voice inside has been saying to me that there is something a wee bit wrong in this picture. Pod coffee makers create a lot more waste than traditional coffee makers do because the pods that the coffee come in are plastic with a foil top. So I thought I would brain storm some smart way to make reusable coffee pods guilt free. Here's the first 6 ways I came up with. Please join me in the discussion.
Reusable Coffee Pods
how to recycle a coffee pod- plan#1 in the garden?
The first thing that came to mind to me with a reusable coffee pod is to use them somehow in the garden. Now, I am pretty certain they won't biodegrade any time fast, so I would keep them out of the compost pile, but two other things came to mind.Kcups are pierced in the process of extracting coffee from them. I was thinking they are a good size to start my seedlings. Normally I have this gadget that lets me make seedling pots out of old newspapers, but since I don't buy newspapers any more, it has been sitting on the shelf.
Can you envision a tray of kcups filled with little bean seedlings?
This won't make them disappear, but at least you will have a second use for them or third or fourth...
The second thing is that roses love coffee... So I knock the coffee out, into my kitchen counter compost collector, and every week or so, I dump the grounds on the roses.
If you are wondering why I don't do this with my other veggies, from what I can tell there are 2 issues with the coffee itself.
- it is not organic and I don't want to add chemicals to the food that I grow
- the plastic that it comes in is thin and soft and let's face it, there may be some icky stuff leaching into the coffee itself
but as far as I can tell, my roses don't mind... and I don't eat them.
how to recycle a coffee pod? Dreaming of the Elusive Reusable Coffe Pod
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Chris K
Reusable Coffee Pods- You Need 'em Before You Can Recycle 'em
Reusable Coffee Pods
how to recycle a coffee pod-plan #2
You don't have to take my word for it, Keurig is very upfront about the challenges they face with their kcups. To date they are not reusable coffee pods and they argue that for now they are not able to modify their packaging into a biodegradable material without compromising the freshness and taste of their coffeehttp://www.keurig.com/environmental_policy.asp
how to recycle your kcups
The EZ Cup is a step in the right direction to recycling your kcups. Although the machine is phenomenal for its ease and convenience, the waste produced by it is awful and the plastic content of the kcups is iffy...
Ekobrew Cup, Refillable K-Cup For Keurig K-Cup Brewers
Reusable Coffee Pods
how to recycle a coffee pod- plan #3 EZ Cup system
1. Place paper filter in center of EZ Cup and wrap edges around EZ Cup
2. Fill coffee into filter
3. Close paper filter lid and wrap lid edges around rim
4. Close the EZ Cup lid and make sure it is tightly closed.
Insert in your Keurig machine as you would a K-Cup Requires EZ Cup paper filters
More Great Coffee Pods
how to recycle a kcup
This is a great demonstration on how to use a KCap. It explains it step by step and also give some good reasons why this might make your coffee taste even better than using a drip machine.
how to recycle your coffee pod- plan #4
Kcaps
Reusable Coffee Pods Filled with Tea
Reusable Coffee Pods
how to recycle your coffee pod- plan #5 kitchen wraps: plastic & foil
"I used to use up to 6 k-cups a day. Now I just use 1. After I brew the fist cup I remove the foil top, empty the grounds, refill with fresh coffee, put a little aluminum foil over the top, and brew as usual. I line up the hole in the bottom and use the same aluminum top several times. I throw the k cup out when I've had my fill of coffee for the day. I do have the reusable my-cup, but coffee doesn't taste nearly as good as when I use this method. "
I also have read tales of using the heavy duty press and seal plastic wrap for this too. You should cut your wrap into about a 4 inch square and then press it firmly against the top of the kcup after you have filled it almost (but not all the way) to the top.
Reusable Coffee Pods
how to recycle you coffee pod-plan #6 Or maybe a glass kcup?
What would be ideal is a kcup made of a different material...
Here's why:
All plastic is bad for you, because nothing that goes in to making plastic should ever go into your body. it's all toxic, in small amounts yes, but small amounts consistently over time adds up to a lot. Keurig claims their kcups are BPA free...
Hot water and plastic going into you every day is going to cause high levels of xenoestrogens being stored in your fat, so you will get fat easier, more likely to be at risk for cancer etc.
What would be a great idea is a reusable K-cup that is glass (pyrex?) or maybe stainless steel. Or if anyone could drill a hole in a shot glass... it looks to be just the right size. LOL!
Reusable Coffee Pods
how to recycle a coffee pod-plan #7
Keurig came up with a dishwasher safe reusable kcup that allows you to add your own coffee.
Keurig My K-Cup Reusable Coffee Filter
Pros:
- Generally works well
- reduces the cost of kcups
Cons:
- Must make sure the coffee is ground to the right consistency and not packed too tightly into the cup, otherwise it will not work properly.
- somewhat expensive
Reusable KCups
Are you using one of these?
What do you think about the environment, your health and your convenience?
Please let me know if you have found a clever way to recycle a coffee pod. I would love your comments.
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thatgrrl
Apr 14, 2012 @ 5:49 pm | delete
- I never bought one of these new pod things because they are too expensive and create more garbage than the French press I use now. Right now I only have coffee grounds which I use in the garden.
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sousababy
Sep 5, 2011 @ 2:17 pm | delete
- Always good to recycle . . very instructional lens. Thanks!
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TraceyFitzgerald
Oct 15, 2010 @ 12:34 pm | delete
- I'm all about the tea these days. Sometimes I go on a coffee jag... I'll check this out.
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Keep my machine or trash it?
Kcups are pretty rough in that they add to the landfills and they are made out of plastics that could be harmful
Are you willing to keep your pod coffee maker anyway?
Yes, I think it is worth the convenience and I will do my best to be responsible with the kcup waste
No, this thing is scary... I'll stick to my glass coffee press
PamelaU says:
It's not that I'm scared of it, I do think it's very wasteful. I don't do any gardening, and with the amount of coffee I drink I think we'd soon run out of space and ideas for craft projects using these pods!
So are you game?
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Hey!, I've got friends...
and they are writing about all sorts of good coffee topics so I thought I would feature them here. If you like my lens maybe you'll share the love. Or brew another cup and think it over...
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- Gevalia Coffee Orders
- Well, my first love affair with coffee started right here. Gevalia is a great brand and I don' t think they would have stuck around all this time if they weren't doing something right.
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