Ah, coffee pods. Another “marvellous modern invention”, of which the world has begun to realise may be more of a detriment than an advantage.
The single-use coffee pod was invented in the early 1990s, and at present it is believed that Australians are using approximately three million coffee pods a day.
Millions of households in Australia own a pod machine, with the pod market set to overtake the whole coffee bean market in a short period of time.
Coffee pods were something I hadn’t given much thought to until recently, as I’d never used them much before, apart from the odd occasion at a hotel buffet breakfast when it was the only option.
But recently they’ve begun to grind my gears.
Not only (would I argue from a personal perspective only) do coffee pod machines seem more popular here in the UK – Every household I’ve been in since moving here has one, whilst I only knew the odd person who had one back in Australia – but I’ve had more contact with this product in the last seven months than in my entire lifetime, which means they’ve been weighing on my mind much more often.
You see, in the truck loading bay outside the mall at which I work part time at, this sight exists:
This same mess has sat there, with no one bothering to clean it up, for three months and counting now.
You might argue that if I am so bothered by it, why don’t I clean it up?
Well, two reasons:
- I am only ever in the loading bay when I am actively helping my store receive a delivery, and am constantly moving cages and stock as quickly as possible in order to not keep the truck driver waiting.
-
The store I believe is responsible for these coffee pods on the ground – a large retailer of this product who will remain nameless – is constantly putting their recycling and waste bags (all printed with logos of the company, so I know it’s definitely theirs) right next to where these pods lay, and so I admit it has kind of been out of bewilderment, stubbornness, and slight curiosity that I have stood back and monitored the situation to find out how long it would take for them to clean up their mess. (Anyone who has lived in a sharehouse with a messy person can relate to the absolute frustration and disbelief that it has been MONTHS and still nothing has moved)
I just can’t take it any more. I will be sending a message to the retailer to ask why this mess has not been cleaned up, and if they take their highly publicised recycling and waste management scheme seriously.
So, today I’m on my high-horse getting all p****d off about these little demonic pieces of plastic and metal that – we all know by now – aren’t great for the environment.
But just how bad are they?
Well, that bad that the creator of them has stated he regrets even inventing them, apparently.
Let’s weigh up the pros and cons of these little single-use caffeine-givers:
The pros:
- Decent cup of joe – It’s true, coffee pods do result in a (generally) delicious, steaming, cup of coffee to help get you going of a morning, almost equal to a brew from a qualified barrista. You can get many different coffee strengths and flavours without needing a fancy cafe barrista-level coffee machine.
- Convenience – Yes, pods make your everyday coffee habit easy to partake in. They are quick and efficient, and require no clean up (apart from your coffee mug, of course).
The cons:
- The cost – At an average price of £5 per pack of 16 single-use pods, that equates to 31 pence per cup. However, you could purchase a 200g bag of ground coffee from the supermarket for an average of £3.50. With one tablespoon (8.7g) of coffee grounds per cup, that means you’d get around 23 cups per bag at around 15 pence per cup. You could also buy coffee beans, pre-ground and grind them yourself, for around £3 for a 227g bag. With 32 servings per bag, this equates to a very cheap 9 pence per cup. You don’t need to be a genius to work this one out.
- The environmental impact – The complexity of the packaging (often a mix of different materials) – combined with the organic waste from the coffee grounds – makes them hard to process in most recycling plants. On top of that, many people aren’t even aware they can be recycled at all. Or they simply can’t be bothered to try to recycle them. Because of this, coffee pods are a huge source of plastic chemicals in landfills. With the rising levels of BPA and other plastic chemicals found on our earth and in our oceans, it’s concerning to think of the environmental and even health risks associated with it. For those pieces of plastic that end up wayward instead of in a landfill, then can be accidentally consumed by animals either before or after they break up into tiny pieces of microplastic.
The alternative options:
Yes, this all seems very dire, but please don’t fret! There are other options that aren’t as damaging to help keep you caffeinated:
- Instant coffee – Hey, it may not be as tasty as a coffee from a coffee pod machine, but it still provides caffeine (and can be found at almost every supermarket in a glass jar). This is my everyday coffee of choice, however I do upgrade to the next option when I’m craving a stronger cup.
- Cafetiere – You can make an A+ mug of the good brown stuff with a cafetiere (Also known as a French press or coffee plunger) right in the comfort of your own kitchen. A cafetiere can be found for a very reasonable price at any homewares store.
- Grind your own beans – You could take the home brew one step further with your cafetiere, and instead of buying coffee grounds from the supermarket (in glass or other recyclable packaging, of course!), you can find a bulk store or local farmer’s market that sells coffee beans unpackaged, and take along your own jar to fill up and then take home to grind with a grinder (hand or electronic, your choice – but I love the look of the old vintage, hand-cranked ones personally!)
- Become a cafe regular – If you want a nice brew and can’t seem to get it right at home, find a cafe nearby that you can get a coffee in a reusable travel mug. Granted, this option is more expensive, but by choosing a local business you wish to support the ethos of – maybe a family business or one that supports charity – you can feel comforted knowing your money is going to a good cause at least.
PS. Extra points if you ensure your coffee is organic and fairtrade, to minimise the environmental impact of the production of the beans in the first place.
What else?
If you REALLY can’t deny your tastebuds your favourite cup of coffee in order to help the environment, there are some options available to at least help lessen the impact your habit costs the earth:
- Compostable coffee pods – In all honesty, I don’t know much about these, and how true the “compostable” label is, but I have heard they exist.
- Find a recycling program, like TerraCycle, to send your empty coffee pods to, to ensure they do not end up in landfill or the belly of an animal. I’ve personally used TerraCycle for old beauty products, and love their open communication and transparency about their recycling programs and processes.
Ok, so now you have some other options detailed to potentially help you move away from coffee pods, I’m going to hop down from my high horse and go off to enjoy a moment of awkward silence with my boyfriend, and all the other friends and loved ones of mine who own and use coffee pod machines, probably over the next coffee we enjoy together….
Books about Zero Waste that I love:
Note: Some of these are affiliate links. I only ever affiliate myself with products and companies that I believe in and either use, or would use, myself.
Zero Waste Home by Bea Johnson
Plastic-Free by Beth Terry