Easy to make, hard to deal with

Keurig 2.0 truck outside London Drugs, Vancouver, BC

Keurig has a problem. Well a couple of problems. In  September 2012, some of the key patents on the original K-cup design expired. So, for now the market is a bit more open for firms who want to make "pods" to fit the Keurig machines. (At least until the Keurig 2.0 machine with its pod-sensing technology gets broad acceptance, but that is another story. Keurig uses DRM to foil competitors)

The other problem is garbage. In Canada the Keurig pods are not compostable or recyclable. While coffee grounds are 100% compostable, the #7 plastic that Keurig chooses to use to make its pods is not recyclable. The problem lies in the combination of the compostable coffee grounds and the materials used to make the pods.

So for the dubious pleasure of making a very expensive cup of coffee, Keurig users are creating millions of kilograms of non-recyclable waste every year. (In 2013, Keurig produced 8.3 billion pods.)

I wonder when firms like Keurig will be held to account for the environmental impact of their products. As about 20% of coffee drinkers drink coffee brewed using pods of one sort or another, I wonder when consumers will overcome their attraction to an easy cup of coffee that comes with serious environmental problems?