Coffee brewing has been through a selection of revolutions above the yrs. But these days, the coffee-brewing trend will come in the variety of “K-Cups” – a revolution produced by Keurig.
The Vermont-based firm, Green Mountain Coffee, will make these irresistible K-cup that permit you brew a cup of Joe at the press of a button.
To get a improved plan of just how preferred Keurig coffee brewing has come to be, let’s seem at the specifics. A 2013 national report just released some statistics about the most preferred coffee brewing techniques, and whilst common drip equipment still come in initially in level of popularity – Keurig will come in at a shut next. The Seattle Times noted that $132 million was spent on coffee pods last 12 months on your own.
Why K-Cups aren’t excellent for recycling
Exactly where this all ties again to recycling is straightforward. Practically 95% of all Green Mountain Coffee’s K cups consist of #seven composite plastic, which is normally categorized as non-recyclable.
From a recycling standpoint, it is really a lot more pricey to separate composite plastics and other plastic blends simply because it requires a lot more superior separation, screening, sortation and processing for lots of recycling systems.
What is a #seven plastic?
#seven plastics are designed from other plastic resins and it is really normally tricky to know for confident what types of components and subsequent contaminants may be in #seven plastics.
Usually, there is a excellent opportunity it generally includes BPA or the new, equally regarding chemical on the block in the bisphenol course recognized as Bisphenol-S (BPS). The plastic type and its related contaminants – all make the recycling procedure a lot more hard and a lot more highly-priced to procedure VS recycling-friendly plastics.
Why use #seven plastics?
Although Green Mountain Coffee has released options to manufacture a a lot more recycling-friendly K-Cup, the reality continues to be that its present #seven plastic cups are a a lot more price successful alternative.
When you split it all down to figures, the sad reality is that lots of producers will decide with whatsoever is the most price successful. Not the most environmentally friendly. In the circumstance of Green Mountain Coffee, it is really merely less costly for the firm to use non-recyclable #seven plastics as opposed to other #three or #four plastics.
Base Line
The selection of manufactured #seven plastic K-Cups created every 12 months are ample in selection to circle the world five occasions above yet again. And for this purpose, you start to get a significantly improved plan of the nation’s billions of K-cups, which are at this time ending up in landfills.
Supply by Protechwood