Keurig is facing a widespread backlash against the K-Cup
Reuters
The pods have become wildly popular in recent years, with nearly one in three households now owning a pod-based coffee machine, Quartz's James Hamblin reports.
But they are difficult to recycle, raising serious environmental concerns that have forced their inventor, John Sylvan, to have regrets.
"Looking back on his invention, amid increasing public condemnation of K-Cups as a scourge on the planet, Sylvan told me, 'I feel bad sometimes that I ever did it,'" Hamblin writes.
Now some customers are threatening to boycott the company until it makes the pods more environmentally friendly.
Try a reusable filter with your own coffee #killthekcup http://t.co/n9A8ypPeqE pic.twitter.com/WV80EjH1xe
- Anna (@kool_add) March 4, 2015
Keurig: symbol for selfish consumerism #KillTheKCup = a wake-up call better than coffee! >>https://t.co/qkWwPRYwZ0
- V. C. Bestor (@VCBestor) March 4, 2015
switching to using my own coffee in my Keurig is the best decision I've made in a while. #killthekcup
- Casey Miller (@therealcaseyjo) March 4, 2015
Never really put too much thought into where my kcups went. Bad, bad, bad! #KillTheKCup
- Narni Pants (@NarniPants) March 4, 2015
I hate @Keurig. They are an abomination to coffee and the environment. Even the inventor regrets inventing them. #KillTheKCup
- Ellie Larson (@EllieLarson) March 4, 2015
Just a friendly reminder: there is no justification for the K-Cup! #KillTheKCup http://t.co/SIAQyxNALV
- K (@kelsitabonita) March 4, 2015
Between takeout coffee cups and Keurig K-Cups, the amount of waste generated by coffee drinkers is shameful. #KillTheKCup
- Victoria Yang (@VcYng) March 4, 2015
I used to love my @Keurig but when I realized how wasteful it was I got a @BrevilleUSA #YouBrew which makes better coffee. #KillTheKCup
- Matthew Dunn (@MileHighFlyGuy) March 3, 2015
Have you gotten rid of your Keurig yet? #KillTheKCup http://t.co/0Gv4yHZElJ
- SoLA Food Co-op (@SoLAFoodCoop) March 4, 2015
Those of you with Keurigs, this issue needs attention now! Let's work together for a greener planet. #KillTheKCup http://t.co/n6a3ZlfcOx
- Sabrina Benulis (@SabrinaBenulis) March 4, 2015
"Because the K-Cup is made of that plastic integrated with a filter, grounds, and plastic foil top, there is no easy way to separate the components for recycling," Hamblin writes.
The company has pledged to make K-Cups fully recyclable by 2020, though many customers say that's not soon enough.
"We're not happy with where we are either," a Keurig spokesman told Hamblin of the company's efforts to make the pods more environmentally friendly. "We have to get a solution, and we have to get it in place quickly."
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