In 2014, enough K-Cups were sold that if placed end-to-end, they would circle the planet 10.5 times!But it's bad news for the environment -- almost all used K-Cups ended up in landfills.
K-Cups are made of plastic combined with a filter, coffee grounds and a plastic foil top, so there is no easy way to separate the parts for recycling. Making coffee with K-Cups is simply unsustainable, and the inventor of the K-Cup, John Sylvan, even says he regrets what he's done.
K-Cup pledged last year to create a fully recyclable version by 2020. But can the planet wait another five years? Apparently it doesn't have to.
Sylvan says he has already worked out a way to improve the K-Cup so it is recyclable, but Keurig refuses to test it. He told The Atlantic:
“I told [Keurig] how to improve it, but they don't want to listen. There's a much better way of doing it.”
“Take coffee and put it in a centrifuge, and it comes apart. Then you take the parts and combine them back when you make the coffee. So you could use something like a ketchup foil pack, and the separate parts won't become oxidized when they’re stored and transported. Then you can combine them again at the last minute while making the coffee...I did the experiment years ago, and it worked.”
We would like to ask Keurig to stop blocking Mr. Sylvan's idea & to test it once and for all. After all, hasn't the environment been damaged enough by this product?
Please sign and share the petition to demand Keurig tests Mr. Sylvan's idea in an effort to more rapidly make the switch to environmentally friendly cups that are biodegradable and recyclable!
Mr. Kelley,
In a recent interview with
The Atlantic, K-Cup inventor John Sylvan said he has figured out a solution for making the K-Cup environmentally sustainable:
“Take coffee and put it in a centrifuge, and it comes apart. Then you take the parts and combine them back when you make the coffee. So you could use something like a ketchup foil pack, and the separate parts won't become oxidized when they’re stored and transported. Then you can combine them again at the last minute while making the coffee...I did the experiment years ago, and it worked.”
We the undersigned urge you to test this idea in an effort to more rapidly make the switch to environmentally friendly cups that are biodegradable and recyclable. Thank you.
