Are K-Cups Recyclable?

K-Cup coffee pods are well-known for their convenience, but since their introduction to the coffee world, a major concern regarding their usage is their effect on the environment, leading many to wonder: Are K-Cups recyclable?

“Coffee pods are one of the best examples of unnecessary single-use plastics that are polluting our planet,” John Hocevar, campaign director of Greenpeace USA, told USA Today. “Many end up getting incinerated, dumping poison into our air, water and our soil.”

Keurig has been working on making its K-Cup coffee pods better for the environment, making the pods recyclable in Canada as of the end of 2018.

Now, are K-Cups recyclable everywhere, and is the problem solved?

The company notes consumers should check locally, because the pods are “not recycled in all communities.” 

Indeed, some cities across Canada have completely banned K-Cups and other coffee pods from their recycling programs. 

To make the coffee pods recyclable, Keurig switched the plastic used in its K-Cups to polypropylene, which is often recyclable in Canadian municipalities as a No. 5 plastic. However, the pods are made of more than just plastic — they also contain foil, fabric, and coffee grounds, a combination recycling systems cannot afford to dismantle. Therefore, consumers would have to separate the materials themselves to make the pods truly recyclable.

The Financial Post reports it would take these seven steps to ready a K-Cup for recycling: 

• Let the coffee grounds cool
• Peel the foil top
• Toss the foil into the garbage
• Scoop out the coffee grounds
• Tear out the paper filter
• Rinse excess coffee grounds
• Throw the plastic cup in the recycling bin

Consumers may find this is a more cumbersome process than they believed they were signing up for by purchasing these products with the “recyclable” label on them. Many who want the convenience of these pods may end up throwing them into their recycling without properly preparing them, which could then cause major issues for recycling programs.

“Organic material left in the pod will contaminate other waste in the bin. We’re already having problems with mixed paper and this could make more of it not sellable,” Jim McKay, the Toronto city official in charge of recycling, told the Toronto Star. “We simply cannot afford to take the risk of further increasing the contamination.”

So, are K-Cups recyclable in Canada?

Technically, yes, except for the places that have specifically banned the pods. However, the process requires much more hassle than many may have expected.

McKay noted audits of Toronto recycling waste found that 97 percent of coffee pods in the blue bins still contained coffee grounds, indicating that even when people know the pods are recyclable, they may not know how to do it properly or may be unwilling to put in the effort.

But people may feel better about buying the product now that Keurig has put the green recycling symbol with the words “it’s recyclable” on the packaging, Lloyd Alter, teacher of sustainable design at Ryerson School of Interior Design, wrote in Treehugger. 

A Keurig K-Cup class action lawsuit investigation has been opened for residents of the following provinces:

• Ontario
• Alberta
• Saskatchewan
• Manitoba
• New Brunswick
• Newfoundland

If you live in one of these provinces and purchased Keurig K-Cups believing them to be recyclable, you may be able to join this class action lawsuit investigation and pursue compensation.

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