Single-serve coffee pods and machines are the new thing in the increasingly sophisticated world of coffee drinking. Coffee pods such as the popular K-Cups made by Green Mountain Coffee are perfect if you are looking for one good cup of coffee — rather than a whole pot that could potentially become stale, or worse yet, dumped down the sink.
The only problem is waste. Pod coffee, at least in its present incarnation, is not eco-friendly. Is there a way to enjoy the freshness and convenience of gourmet coffee pods and single-serve coffee makers without creating a bigger problem for the environment through excess waste and energy use?
What Are Single-Serve Coffee Pods?
Single-serve coffee pods are small individual containers that are designed to be used once for one cup of coffee, and then discarded. They consist of the actual container, which is often made from non-biodegradable plastic, a single-serve size filter and the coffee, ground and ready to be brewed with a single-cup coffee maker.
There are different types and brands to choose from. Green Mountain K-Cups are extremely popular. According to the August 2010 New York Times article by Murray Carpenter, "A Coffee Conundrum," eighty percent of the company's sales last year were from consumers buying coffee pods and single-serve coffee makers. Other producers of gourmet coffee pods include Diedrich Coffee, Van Houtte Coffee, Timothy's Coffee, and Tully's Coffee.
Not only are single-serve coffee pods convenient and ideal for a quick, high-quality cup of coffee, but they offer the consumer the freedom of choice. Gourmet coffee pods can be purchased in hundreds of different flavors such as 'Southern Pecan' and 'Mocha Nut Fudge.' There are also hot chocolate K-Cups, and tea pods as well.
Pod Coffee and the Environment
What are the benefits of pod coffee for the environment? Theoretically there is one environmental benefit from using single cup coffee pods — less coffee is wasted. In the home kitchen, the office coffee room, or even the twenty-four hour gas station coffee pots are brewed, but not all the contents are actually consumed. With single-serve coffee pods this problem is eliminated; only one cup is made at a time. If someone wants a second cup or another coffee drinker comes along they can make a new fresh cup, and even choose their own personal flavor.
What are the cons of pod coffee for the environment? The waste. At this point K-Cups are not biodegradable, nor recyclable. The small amounts of ground coffee are generally tossed in the trash with the whole pod rather than being repurposed into a nitrogen-rich compost.
The other problem is energy use. Using single-serve coffee makers is not reducing anyone's carbon footprint. Every time someone wants a cup of coffee, or a second cup, the machine has to use energy to brew each fresh cup. For one individual drinking one cup a day this is more eco-friendly. Multiple brews however use more energy than one pot being brewed and shared.
Eco-Friendly Solutions When Buying Coffee Pods and Single-Serve Coffee Makers
What do you do if you love single-serve coffee pods but are concerned about the environment? Try these tips to make what is available today as eco-friendly as possible.
- Producers such as Keurig do not have Energy Star rated coffee makers, but they do have an 'auto-off' feature. Use it.
- Buy only fair trade coffee pods.
- While the petroleum-based K-Cups are not reusable, the coffee filters can be. Try using a reusable filter cartridge.
- Be aware of eco-friendly innovations. For example, Flavia pods offer businesses the option to send used pods to TerraCycle for the coffee to be composted and the plastic containers to be recycled.
Pod coffee may not be the most environmentally-friendly option right now, but with a little more innovation single-serve coffee pods may just be compatible with all the needs of a progressive, eco-friendly society.
References:
Van der Meer, Jennifer. "Green Your Appliances!" (Inhabitat.com)
Brenna Coleman - Brenna is a freelance writer focusing on natural health and beauty. She has written hundreds of articles, helping readers find ways to ...
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