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Keurig Canada K-Cup Pod Recyclability Fine Overview:
- Who: Keurig Canada has agreed to pay a $3 million fine following an investigation by the Competition Bureau.
- Why: The bureau determined Keurig made false or misleading statements about the recyclability of its K-cup pods.
- Where: Keurig K-cup pods are only considered recyclable in the provinces of Quebec and British Columbia.
Keurig Canada has agreed to pay a $3 million fine to settle claims the company made false or misleading statements about the recyclability of its K-cup pods.
The Competition Bureau, which made the announcement, revealed Keurig Canada voluntarily reached an agreement to pay the fine and make an $800,000 donation to an environmental charity, CBC reports.
“Portraying products or services as having more environmental benefits than they truly have is an illegal practice in Canada,” Commissioner of Competition Matthew Boswell said in a statement.
The announcement comes only a month after Keurig agreed to an undisclosed settlement last month to resolve identical claims made in the United States, CBC reports.
Pods Not Considered Recyclable In Majority Of Provinces
Keurig has been under investigation by the Competition Bureau over its claims that its K-cup pods could be recycled as long as their metallic lids were peeled off and they were emptied of any coffee grounds.
The bureau determined, however, that the K-cup pods were not considered recyclable in the majority of provinces — with Quebec and British Columbia as exceptions — and that the company’s instructions were not sufficient, CBC reports.
The Competition Act, which regulates the legitimacy of claims made by companies, was at the center of the bureaus investigation.
“False or misleading claims by businesses to promote ‘greener’ products harm consumers who are unable to make informed purchasing decisions, as well as competition and businesses who actually offer products with a lower environmental impact,” Boswell said.
Keurig Canada will also be required to alter its current and future packaging, issue public notices online and in the media and email its subscribers about the truth regarding the recyclability of its K-cup pods.
The company claims it has worked to alleviate the recyclability issue by altering the plastic material used to make its K-cup pods to one that is more widely accepted as recyclable by programs in Canada; however, they say many still do not accept them, CBC reports.
Did you purchase a Keurig with the belief that its K-cup pods were easily recyclable? Let us know in the comments!
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22 thoughts onKeurig Canada Agrees To Pay $3M Fine To Resolve Claims It Misleads Consumers About Recyclability Of K-Cup Pods
Damn, I totally believed they were recyclable when purchasing!
Add me thanks
That’s one of the reasons why I bought them because they were recyclable please add me
We have gone through 3=4 Keurig coffee machines since around 2000. Just think about the number of K-Cups our family has thrown out over the years. If they claim they are recyclable then they should be. I always assumed they broke down over a short time once the top was removed. I don’t think that Keurig is the only offender in this domain though.
I was so sure that I was buying a great product for recycling
I thought they were able to recycle them that why I bought it.
It aggravates me each time I make a cup of coffee knowing this. Keurig should be doing better I feel.
We had a Keurig, and it appears the water just spots through the plastic pods, and you had this mountain of garbage. We got the mesh , reusable ones, but they never sealed and warped from heat. Finally sold the Machine. Plastic Garbage everywhere…now they have these Keurig Pods in Hotels…more plastic rubbish…that goes into our earth!?
Yes, of course – it’s a shame that they aren’t. Guess I will be changing my coffee making process. I believe recycling is important.
I believed for years they could be recycled