Throughout history, there have been inventors that have grown to despise their creation. You had Robert Oppenheimer with the atomic bomb, but more recently, we have John Svlvan, the creator of Keurig.
He hated it so much he sold his shares of the company in 1997, but why did he hate it so much?
Because he understood the implications that K-cups were having on the planet. Now, cities across the globe are starting to ban the sale of single-use plastic, and one name keeps popping up Keurig coffee pods.
Still not sure there that bad?
Check this out:
Table of Contents
The Dangers Of K Cups
You might not think it at first, but these pesky little single-use pods can cause significant harm to the planet we call home. By the end of 2015, there were enough K-cups sold to wrap them around the earth 10.5 times.
Now that’s a lot of coffee!
And with sales increasing every year, this number is only going to increase. When it comes down to it, there are three reasons why K-cups are so bad for the world:
- They don’t biodegrade
- They use aluminum and plastic
- They’re bad for your health
Let me explain:
K-cups use a bunch of materials within their pods, and other than the coffee, none of them known to biodegrade. And because of this, any K-cup that gets used is likely to be here for a very long time.
Well over 9 billion K-cups have been sold worldwide, and as we know, they don’t biodegrade. This is creating enormous problems for landfill sites, and our wildlife, which, when you think about it, is a somber thought.
My next point; K-cups are made with aluminum and plastic, neither of which can biodegrade.
You might be wondering, “Can’t I just recycle them”?
As yet, there is no industrial process for recycling K-cups, although they have mentioned by 2020, they will be recyclable. We will have to wait and see!
You do have the option to split them down yourself, this way you can break the metal and the plastic down yourself. This does take some time, and in most cases, you’ll be lucky if they accept the plastic.
Then you have the fact it’s bad for your health:
They may use BPA plastic, which is claimed to have no ill effects on your health, but it can start to release toxins under extreme heat.
And this isn’t helped by the acidity of the coffee. The combination of heat and acidity can allow the plastic to leach into your beverage. Now, these chemicals won’t kill you, but they are known to damage your hormone system and, in some cases, cause infertility.
If you’re starting to feel a little bit guilty about your coffee consumption, but don’t want to give up coffee. I have a solution for you!
5 Biodegradable K cups
Don’t worry; you don’t have to give up your morning coffee just yet; I have a better solution for you;biodegradable K cups!
It’s a great way to help the environment and maintain your coffee fix.
Take a look:
Camerons Coffee
Certified as compostable, Cameron’s Coffee comes with six boxes of 12 coffee pods. Each pod provides a refreshingly vibrant and smooth flavor. You get an outstanding selection of flavors, including:
- Breakfast Blend
- Donut Shop
- Kona Blend
- French Vanilla
- Velvet Moon
- Organic French Roast
Tayst Coffee
These Tayst coffee pods provide a bold and brilliant undernotes to your coffee. The rainforest alliance certifies each container as being 100% compostable. You have a great selection of 11 flavors for you to dive in to, including:
- Bold & Brazen
- Happy Hazelnut
- Bold Sampler
- Defiantly Decaf
- Vanilla Cream
- Variety Pack
The Organic Coffee Co.
Their pods are made from biodegradable paper and various mesh filters. The roast is created using dark Arabica beans. Each box comes with 36 individual coffee servings and four aromatic flavors:
- Gorilla Decaf
- Java Love
- French Roast
- Breakfast Blend
San Francisco
Made by the Rodgers family, they collect the most exquisite organic Arabica coffee beans to make a Kosher coffee like no other. Each box contains 80 completely biodegradable pods. The flavors include:
- Breakfast Blend
- Colombian Supremo
- Donut Shop
- Kona Blend
- Organic Rainforest Blend
- French Vanilla
Faro Roasting
Each pod contains an exotic and luxurious flavored coffee ready to tantalize your tastebuds. The selection pack comes with 60 compostable coffee pods and a variety of 5 flavors for you to dig into:
- Roasters Blend
- French Roast
- Breakfast Blend
- French Vanilla
- Colombian Dark
There you have it five of the very best biodegradable k-cups. Every one of them is worth making the switch too. Not only do they taste fantastic, but they help to save the planet one k-cup at a time.
Hopefully, you are wondering what you can do with your old K-cups.
How to Reuse Non-Recyclable K-Cups
There’s no need to start chucking away all your K-cups right now; there’s still a few uses you can put them too. Here are some of my favorite ways to reuse your old K-cups:
Molds For Bath Bombs
People all over the world are making their own DIY bath bombs, and there’s no shortage of guides online. The best bit is, these products can be found very quickly and without a considerable cost attached to it.
So, why not find a recipe online you like the look of and use your old Keurig pods to mold them. All you have to do is fill them with the mixture and leave them to set until the next day, carefully remove them with a knife and voila, your very own DIY bath bomb.
Storing Small Items
We all have a tiny draw in the house filled with all kinds of junk, and it can be a nightmare to find anything in there. If this is the case for you, why not use your old K-cups to sort and store all the smaller items.
Any old pins, loose change, paper clips, or buttons are all small enough to fit inside. It’s a great storage hack for any messy draw.
Final Thoughts
By now, I’m sure you can agree that non-biodegradable k-cups are a terrible thing and need to be stopped. Luckily for you, that doesn’t mean you have to stop consuming your favorite beverage to help the planet.
You have plenty of compostable variations out there at the same price and just as tasty. Make the right decision and start using biodegradable k cups today.
