Are Keurig K-Cups recyclable?

by Beckie
(Beaconsfield, QC)

The MY K-CUP reusable coffee filter from Keurig.

QUESTION:

I love the convenience of making my morning coffee with a K-Cup brewer. But I’ve always been worried that K-Cups are filling our landfills by the billions.

Now I hear that Keurig K-Cups are recyclable. At least, that’s what I read somewhere.

Does that mean it’s OK to use them? From an environmental and waste or pollution point of view?

I’d love to enjoy my coffee AND feel I wasn’t doing something bad or harmful to the world.

Can you confirm for me that K-Cups really are recyclable, and OK to use?

Thanks

Beckie

ANSWER:

Beckie, hi

You’re right, Keurig K-Cups are now recyclable. Mostly.

Once you’ve used the K-Cup, first let it cool down.

Then peel off and throw out the foil lid. That part isn’t recyclable.

Then empty the coffee grounds from the K-Cup. You can compost the ground coffee, or just scatter it in your garden.

Now you’re left with the plastic cup itself. This didn’t used to be recyclable, but now it is. It’s a #5 plastic and can be thrown into your recycling bin.

But here’s the real question…

Will you go through the process of emptying every K-Cup and then recycling the plastic?

My guess is that most people start off with good intentions. But then they face the hassle of peeling the lid and cleaning out the used coffee.

I bet a lot of people just end up throwing these recyclable K-Cup in the garbage, just like they did before.

If you want to be sure about being good to the environment, you’re better off using a reusable cup like the one I’ve pictured above.

Just fill it with your favorite ground coffee before brewing, insert it into your K-Cup brewer, and you’re good to go.

Much kinder to the environment, plus the cost of each cup of coffee goes WAY down, because you’re no longer buying those expensive K-Cups.

If you can’t find it locally, you can get this reusable My K-Cup at Amazon .

Best wishes,

Nick

Comments for Are Keurig K-Cups recyclable?

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K-Cups being recyclable is BS
by: Denis

For Keurig to claim that their k-cups are recyclable is total BS.

Like you said, you have to take the k-cup apart and then throw out the coffee. Like, who is going to do that... ever?

if you're the kind of person who cares about cluttering the environment with single-use plastics, you wouldn't have a Keurig brewer in the first place.

You'd use something like a French press. No plastic parts in the brewer itself, and no waste. Just dump the used coffee grinds into your compost bin, or directly in your garden.

Keurig brewers are about convenience and waste... nothing else.

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