Are K Cups Recyclable?

Can you recycle K-Cups and their lids? Short answer, yes, you can. But did you know there’s a proper way to do it? That’s because different K-Cups have different contents and packaging. Keep reading, as we’ll explain everything. 

Are K Cups Recyclable?

K-Cups are made of plastic with aluminum lids and a paper filter inside that contains the coffee ground. Individually, they are all recyclable materials with many uses in DIY projects as well. So, they are easy to recycle, right? Well, the answer is not as simple as it should be.

History

Keurig was sued back in September 2018 for falsely advertising their K-Cups to be environmentally friendly and easily recyclable. Although Keurig’s pods were made of recyclable material, they were difficult to recycle. The reason for this was that before 2020, K-cups were made of #7 plastics, these plastics are not biodegradable and the majority of recycling centers do not accept #7 plastic waste.

The lawsuit ended with Keurig having to pay up to $10 million in a settlement. As a consequence of this lawsuit, Keurig discontinued the use of #7 plastic and instead opted for #5 plastic material for their K-Cups. #5 plastics are accepted in most MRFs (material recycling facilities) and are relatively easy to recycle. Still, recycling K-cups remains a challenge even today for several reasons.

Difficulties

Keurig might have resolved the issue of #7 plastic but that is only the tip of the iceberg. K-Cups are notoriously small in size, most MRFs are not equipped to recover any plastic smaller in size than a yogurt cup. The small-sized K-Cups can often get stuck in MRF machinery, leading to problems.

On top of that, while all K-Cup parts are recyclable, they must be separated before they can be properly disposed of. MRFs are not capable of separating the pods and rely on the consumer to separate everything before it is sent to the facility.

How Do You Dispose Of K Cups?

You can dispose of K-Cups without having to recycle them. K-Cups can last a very long time because they do not decompose that easily. Instead of tossing them out to pollute the environment in a landfill, you can use them as a germination bed for your seeds. You can also repurpose them as item holders or decoration pieces if you use them in art.

Reuse

The best method by far is to simply reuse K-Cups instead of throwing them out. Now, this might be difficult as some Keurig and coffee pod machines prevent the reuse of coffee pods. However, if you own a slightly older Keurig model, you can easily reuse your K-cups until they break.

To get started, use a pair of scissors or a knife and peel away the aluminum foil at the top, try not to cut the plastic edges, as it will make it difficult to reuse the pods. Once you’re done removing the foil, you can empty the used coffee ground into a container. This is a lot easier if you let the K-Cup dry before peeling it open. You can also remove the paper filter with the coffee ground in it for faster cleaning.

Afterward, rinse the cup and leave it to dry. To make this K-Cup reusable, use a disposable coffee ground filter and add some coffee ground to it. You can use fine ground coffee from the local shop. To seal the K-Cup, use two sheets of aluminum to cover the top of the cup (you can use a single sheet but it’s more likely to spill) and secure it tightly with a rubber band.

Now you can put your newly filled K-Cup in the Keurig machine and make yourself a coffee. The plastic body of a K-Cup can last a very long time so you can repeatedly use a single pod until it wears out.

How To Recycle Keurig Pods?

There are three parts of a Keurig pod (four if you’re using Starbucks pods).

1. Foil (lid)

2. Paper filter with the coffee ground.

3. Plastic body

Starbucks pods also have a plastic disk at the very bottom of the cup. As explained before, you have to separate all these components before you throw them in the recycling bin.

To begin, peel off the aluminum foil at the top and put it aside. Then empty the coffee ground in a container, you can dump the ground coffee in the compost or use it as a fertilizer. Do not throw the coffee ground into the sink as it can clog up the pipes.

Remove the paper filter, clean the plastic cup if you want, and then throw the filter, cup, and foil in the recycling bins. If you’re using Starbucks pods, remove the plastic disk at the bottom and dispose of it separately. 

How Do You Clean K Cups For Recycling?

You don’t need to clean the K-Cup much for recycling. The minimum you have to do is to separate K-Cup parts before you throw them into the recycling bin. If you want to go the extra mile, you can try to rinse all the extra grains from the cup and foil before you dispose of them.

There are also K-Cup lid removers available that you can use to quickly remove the lid of a K-Cup. However, lid removers generally cut a piece of plastic out along with the foil. If you’re using lid removers, make sure to separate the cut plastic from the foil before you dispose of it.

Final Thoughts

K-Cups are a great consumer product but are not very environmentally friendly. They are recyclable but you need to put in the extra effort to make them work. You can even try to reuse the pods instead of throwing them into the recycling bin.