Keurig Coffee Systems – Does It Have To Be An Eco-Dilemma?

Photo Credit: Flickr/dyobmit

Anyone who knows me knows that I love coffee!  My favorite is French press but really any strong coffee will do.  A few months ago my sister got a Keurig coffee system, the brewing system with the individual pods of grounds for single cup brewing.  Well, I was very against the idea, since I am against many items designed for single use.  But then she made me a cup of the most perfect coffee I had ever had at her house.  And the eco-dilemma begins.

But it has now gotten worse.  We have accepted a Keurig machine at our office for a limited trial period to see if we would like to switch from our regular brewing style.  Most people in the office are ecstatic to have the shiny, sleek, super modern machine in our kitchen.  But there are some, like me, who are glad to have a great cup of coffee on demand, but also very concerned that allowing this gizmo into our office would contribute to environmental problems on a large scale.

The most glaring problem is the pod that the coffee comes in.  It is a small plastic cup with a foil top and an interior filter made of a combination of paper and plastic.  As it sits, it is not recyclable in any receptacle currently available to us.  It may not even be fully recyclable if you spent the time to deconstruct it.  And think of the resources used to produce the pod – water, electricity, petroleum products – Ugh!

You must also consider that one of the main selling features of the Keurig is that it is ready at a moment’s notice to brew.  Meaning that it is constantly heating water unless you unplug it.  This seems like a large waste of energy just to have a quick cup of coffee.

So as our new machine was being delivered today, I asked the representative about some of my environmental concerns.  He agreed that many people, including Keurig itself, share my concerns.  Keurig currently has a pilot program for pod recycling available on the commercial level.  For a fee, Keurig provides a receptacle for your spent cups that you mail back when full.  Unfortunately this is not yet available for the residential user but the fact that they are recycling on some level is encouraging.  Perhaps one day in the near future recycling will be available for the home.

We also discussed the energy efficiency of the water heater and he made a very good point.  When you brew a regular pot of coffee, you are heating up to twelve cups of liquid for an indefinite amount of time.  With the Keurig, you are only heating a small reservoir of water for the next available cup.  And the heater is not continuously on; only long enough to heat the water and then it shuts off for a time until the water cools off.  So it could be argued that the Keurig uses less energy than a regular brewing system.

He also pointed out that usually a full pot of coffee is brewed, but rarely is it ever completely consumed.  Many cups of brewed coffee get poured down the drain everyday because we want one cup, but brew twelve.  Using a Keurig eliminates waste of water and coffee beans by only brewing the amount of coffee that you need at a given time.

These are all very important points to consider but to be honest, I am still on the fence.  How can a good environmentalist support such a single use system?  But on the flip side, how can I justify brewing a whole pot of coffee when the Keurig system offers me only what I need when I need it?  This article does not have a definite conclusion to the issue.  In fact, I welcome a discussion on the pros and cons.  Do you feel that we have been given enough information to determine whether regular brew or single brew has an environmental advantage?  For those of you who have a Keurig system, what has your experience been with this environmental dilemma?

Eco Home Consultations provides green living consultation services in the Seattle area, focusing on practical ways to integrate green living into your household.  Learn more at www.ecohomeconsults.com or email questions about this blog or other green living issues to Melissa@ecohomeconsults.com.