Boycott the Keurig machine, or throw it out, or at least mothball it

[Fragile Bird]

Between January, 2014 and September 2014, Keurig sold more than 30 Billion k-cups. That's Billion, with a B, folks.

They are not recyclable.

One year's sales of the things, if lined up side by side, would encircle the world 10 times. The company is hoping it will have a 'better' solution by 2020. Five frigging years to find something better.

The inventor can't understand why they are so popular, and regrets he ever invented the things. http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/k-cup-creator-john-sylvan-regrets-inventing-keurig-coffee-pod-system-1.2982660


Boycott the damn things. If you think there's so little you can do to help the environment, stop buying them, at least until they invent a recyclable or re-usable format. Mother Nature will love you for it. Make a pot of coffee, throw the stuff you didn't drink, it'll be better for the environment.

[TrueMetis]

A quick google search suggests that reusable k-cups are already thing. So is this some stupid ass issue with the machine itself? Like there's a barcode on the k-cups or something? Cause if so you could probably just cut off the barcode and attach it to a resuable k-cup.

[Fragile Bird]

Actually, I think it is simply a matter of convenience.

[Merunka is the Fury]

I have a Keurig*. I have 2 reusable cups. Like them very much!

I was against owning one for the excessive waste I felt it created.

When I have the actual Kcups, for whatever reason, I compost the grinds and filter paper. Then I recycle the cup.

[Fragile Bird]

Merunka, since the cup is not recyclable, how are you recycling it? Are you adding it to your community's recycling box? The company has stated the cup is NOT recyclable. If you are adding it to the recycling stream, you are polluting the recycling stream.

[all swedes are racist]

This is one of those times the radical environmentalist in me and the hardcore militant coffee lover don't see quite eye to eye.

The environmentalist says "it's good and all, but think of the terrible waste... The water, the energy, those little fucking plastic cups..."

And the coffee lover simply says "French press or get the fuck out, and fuck your Keurig anyway"

[Weeping Sore]

"French press or get the fuck out, and fuck your Keurig anyway"

Pretty much.

[MercenaryChef]

They are a standard in many hotel rooms all over the world.

I don't see them going away any time soon.

[IheartIheartTesla]

Theoretically, it is possible to recycle #7 plastics (which is a grab bag of miscellaneous plastics really), but my understanding is that few recycling places do it. Also, the K-cup composition is properietary for the most part....

The challenging thing is to separate the grounds and the cap and the filter and then get the rest to a place that does #7 recycling. Not many people will have the inclination to do that.

One of the examples of #7 would be polystyrene, which sticks around in the environment forever. Not saying K-cups have those, although they could, but thats just an example of how bad the situation could be.

On the plus side, some of the environmental effects are mitigated by the fact that K-cups are efficient users of coffee, better than the drip method (all the above is from an Atlantic article I perused couple weeks ago, so caveat emptor)

Edit: I just re-read the article, and its still unclear to me which of the current Keurig cups are recyclable once you separate the components out.....

[Elder Sister]

And the coffee lover simply says "French press or get the fuck out, and fuck your Keurig anyway"

Yay for the environment, but yeah, more importantly, they make horrid coffee.

[NestorMakhnosLovechild]

I was opposed to getting a Kuerig machine but eventually caved to my wife, and the end result is that I am, overall, pretty happy with it. While it initially bothered me that it was more expensive than a small bag of whole beans, ultimately the cost issue is a small one for me, and it's more than worth the additional price for the convenience. My Wife and I like different types of coffee - she likes a much weaker roast, and I like a stronger roast. Whereas before, with my drip coffee maker, one of us had to suck it up and compromise, now we both get what we want. There's extremely minimal cleanup (compared to my drip coffee maker which had a grinder as well, and was a pain to clean and re-set up), less wasted coffee, and perhaps most importantly - I drink way, way less coffee at home. If I made too much and it sat there for two hours, I'd just continually drink it because it's there. Now, I make my cup. Maybe make a second cup. And then that's it. No fuss, no muss.

As for the downside - other than the price issue, which as far as I'm concerned is well worth it for the convenience, it's obviously not a "great cup of coffee." Which, of course, neither was my drip coffee. And while I occasionally enjoy going out and getting a nice, mellow french press at a local coffee shop, I am disinclined to put in the time or effort to make one at home. I enjoy coffee, but I am unashamed to say that I am by no means an aficionado. I'm equally happy with a $12 bottle of wine as well, and my view of coffee snobs is much the same as my view of oenophiles - what they enjoy most about their hobby is the sense of superiority in experiencing it, and empirically, most of what they think about wine is demonstrable bullshit.

[Fragile Bird]

The waste is the issue, though, Nestor. Billions and billions of those K-cups, and they aren't going to have a substitute ready for 5 years. It is amazing how convenience is a siren song that will make people ignore really important issues like what to do with all that plastic.

[Elder Sister]

I'm a far cry from a coffee snob, Nestor, but feel free to lump me in with the hipsters. It's not often I get to wear that label. I love Dunkin Donuts and McDonald's coffee; Keurig coffee is not good. I drink it at my friends' houses because that's what they have, but the coffee always tastes like hot plastic or something.

I like the other machines a bit better - they have them in European hotels and in Hong Kong hotels, but I can't remember the name of them.

[The guy from the Vale]

I'm a far cry from a coffee snob, Nestor, but feel free to lump me in with the hipsters. It's not often I get to wear that label. I love Dunkin Donuts and McDonald's coffee; Keurig coffee is not good. I drink it at my friends' houses because that's what they have, but the coffee always tastes like hot plastic or something.

I like the other machines a bit better - they have them in European hotels and in Hong Kong hotels, but I can't remember the name of them.

There's a number of manufacturers for espresso machines. Gaggia and Rancilio are among the more famous ones.

[peterbound]

pretty happy with both my keurig, and my nespresso (which has no reusable cups), nor do I plan on worrying about the 'k cup issue'. I have a reusable K-cup, not because i'm worried about the lack of recycle option (I don't recycle in any way, shape, or form Nat going to start with this one), but because I like certain types of coffee not offered by Keurig.

Not planning on boycotting them at all, in fact, I've just bought the 2.0 version for the station I'm at.

Also, don't they they save a shit ton of electricity, and help conserve water, over regular means of coffee brewing?

It also appears some enterprising capitalist has came up with a solution to a first world problem. If this is something you really care about, I'll even buy you one:

https://www.recycleacup.com

[peterbound]

I'm a far cry from a coffee snob, Nestor, but feel free to lump me in with the hipsters. It's not often I get to wear that label. I love Dunkin Donuts and McDonald's coffee; Keurig coffee is not good. I drink it at my friends' houses because that's what they have, but the coffee always tastes like hot plastic or something.

I like the other machines a bit better - they have them in European hotels and in Hong Kong hotels, but I can't remember the name of them.

nespresso, I think you're thinking of nespresso.

Love mine.

[Fragile Bird]

There's a number of manufacturers for espresso machines. Gaggia and Rancilio are among the more famous ones.

There's a number of manufacturers for espresso machines. Gaggia and Rancilio are among the more famous ones.

I think she's talking about single cup coffee makers. The big rival is the Bosch Tassimo, and there's also a Nespresso machine that's pretty popular.

The thing about the Keurig is the fact you have to use their k-cups, because of the code bar. I realize there's a hack, but the vast majority of the people don't use it. If their k-cup was 100% recyclable and they bar-coded the damn thing to make sure people used recyclable cups, I'd understand, but they do it to make sure you only use their proprietary coffee cups, which are not recyclable, except, from Tesla's comments, in a very few places.

[TerraPrime]

The waste issue is pretty real. I am going to look into re-useable K-cups.

But yes, the convenience is huge for those of us who only drink 1 or 2 cups a day. Part of that convenience is also that I can have different types of coffee, on the same day, one cup each. I think there's a reason why it caught on so quickly.

So, seems like re-useable K-cups is the best compromise.

[aceluby]

It's not any more convenient, the coffee tastes like crap, and it produces an incredible amount of waste. I'm not sure about the cost, but I have to assume it's more expensive as well.

Why anyone would want one of these pieces of crap is really beyond me. It seriously takes me 3-4 min to brew up a small pot of real espresso.

[DanteGabriel]

Keurigs horrify me. I used to keep a coffee grinder and brewer at my desk because I hated the giant pot of old, burned-down weak coffee that was the default in the office break room. I was at first impressed that the Keurig supplied a somewhat passable cup of coffee with such convenience, but the scale of the plastic waste was mind-boggling.

I still just grind and brew my own. I am no coffee connoisseur, but I can tell the difference between fresh-ground and vacuum-packed. I generally drink one big cup of coffee a day, which I brew in the morning for myself. So the convenience and efficiency of the Keurig doesn't really enter into it for me. The effort of the morning grind is a trade-off I'm willing to make for a tasty cup of coffee and a lack of tiny awful plastic cups.