Can you cut 1 Tonne of carbon pollution out of your life?
Take the challengeCheaper than barista made, but more expensive in the long run…
Coffee pods are immensely popular. Nespresso's coffee pod sector, sold to us by silver fox George Clooney, has grown 1000 % in the last five years. In 2014 approximately 28 billion coffee pods were sold by the brand alone – this doesn't include the pods that come from Aldi, Kuerig, or any of the other major suppliers
In Australia, we consume around 3 million of the small aluminium pods a day, which for visual comparison is an Olympic sized swimming pool filled to the brim every fortnight. With the current rate of growth, in three years we'll be filling the same pool in half the time!
Of these billions of coffee pods, only 5% are made from recyclable materials, which leaves the other 95% to made from non-recyclable composite plastic. Of the recyclable pods, you need to take them apart, compost the coffee grounds, discard of the 'lid' and then recycle the pod – a pretty time intensive procedure. Nespresso does offer the option of taking the pods back to certain shops for recycling, but the question is how many people do it?
Speaking to The Atlantic, John Sylvan, the inventor of the original coffee pod, the K Cup says of his product and its environmental impact, "I feel bad sometimes that I ever did it….No matter what they say about recycling, those things will never be recyclable"
What can we do?
First things first, stop buying coffee pods! But, if you have to have them or you already have the machine, opt for a brand like Eco Cafe that are 100% Australian owned and produce biodegradable pods.
Make your own cold drip at home! Coming into summer this is the perfect way to get your caffeine fix, and you can recycle your used coffee grounds creatively with this guide.
Our girl crush Lauren Singer from Trash is for Tossers has an easy cold brew recipe here.
[Image: Trash is for Tossers]
As always, this is one of those small changes that you can make in your life that has big ramifications, especially if there are a million of us doing it!
READ THIS NEXT: Why you should invest in a keep cup
How do you take your coffee? Do you use coffee pods? We'd love your input in the comments section below.
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