Kill the K-Cup Before It Kills Our Planet**

Single brew coffee pods, commonly known as “K-Cups” are so prolific now that the environmental waste is staggering. All of the K-cups used and discarded in the year 2013 would circle the earth TEN AND A HALF TIMES! The problem was created by the Keurig manufacturing of a tri-layer structure making it unrecyclable. Keurig has announced that it plans to make 100 percent of its K-Cups recyclable by 2020. That’s five years from now – not soon enough in our opinion. What should we do? Choose an eco-friendlier method: drip coffee maker, French press, percolator are all good choices. If you really feel the need for the single-serve pods, they are now available from Equal Exchange* in a RECYCLABLE #5 container and recyclable aluminum top. You must empty the grounds and rinse the cup before recycling. We also suggest you compost the grounds.

*Reminder: Equal Exchange products are available in the meetinghouse lobby on the second Sunday of the month. They are organic and fair trade. If you would like to order a full case of Single-Serve Cups from Equal Exchange, contact Kat Dargan at [email protected]. A case of six boxes (12 cups per box) is $50. We will have boxes of six available without pre-ordering for $8.50.

** http://www.sierraclub.org/EVguide/sierra/video/k-cups-have-never-been-more-terrifying