Compostable coffee pods mean better tasting coffee and a healthier environment.
I think if I were a woman I’d wear coffee as a perfume.
—John Van Drutenfull
Goodness knows having a family means lots of late nights and early mornings. For those of us that rely on a morning cup to get us ready for the day as we drop off kids on the way to work or chase a potty training toddler, or for whatever reason, we are with you.
And for those of us with a single brew system getting us going, it’s important to pay attention to what happens after we start to get our caffeine fix. K-Cups should really be renamed “killer cups” because they are killing the environment, and are potentially causing us harm. In 2014 there were enough K-Cups sold to circle the globe over 10 times so in other words, the amount of K-Cups sold and distributed are out of control. Yes, it’s convenient coffee and you waste less, but the potential cost to our health AND the cost to our environment has Mamavation searching for a better solution for you. We know compostable coffee pods are just better for.
Disclosure by Leah Segedie: This post is sponsored by Cameron’s Coffee. Bookieboo LLC only works with brands free from ingredients contributing to cancer and other diseases. This brand and their coffee fits our standards and it’s fucking delicious to boot. *waves hi to FTA*
Table of Contents
Why Choose Compostable Coffee Pods Over K-Cups?
1. K-Cups Were Never Meant To Be So Popular
Let’s be straight – these things weren’t meant to be in your home. It was developed for office use. Even the K-Cup inventor, John Sylvans, has said he regrets the popularity of the product. How popular? In 2015 the company sold 9 billion units. That is a ton of K-Cups so clearly compostable coffee pods are a better choice.
2. Who Knows What Else Is Brewing. Could Chemicals Inside K-Cups Be Causing Weight Gain via Endocrine Disruption?
What chemicals are in your K-Cup? Keurig says its K-Cups use FDA-approved plastics and are not made of BPA. (Btw, the FDA still thinks BPA is safe because they haven’t been reading the studies funded by the National Institute of Health but that is another story for another time.) So here is your answer for you detectives out there…We don’t actually know what plastic K-cups are using because they won’t tell us. But we DO know they aren’t using BPA. Okay, that’s a start. They won’t say and some studies suggest endocrine disrupting chemicals are also inside those “safe” plastics when they are heated. So don’t heat plastic EVAH and then consume it. Use something different instead. So, I guess it doesn’t really matter what plastic they are using it’s still has the potential to make you gain weight from endocrine disruption along with other nasty things. Oh joy! Hormone disrupting chemicals are currently being classified as obesogens. This is only the beginning of that list because more will be added as they are studied. Compostable coffee pods anyone?
3. K-Cups Are a Huge Pollution Problem Because They Don’t Always Get Recycled
Because K-Cups contain more than one type of material, they cannot be recycled. This is also why you don’t see a recyclable number on the pod. To put things into perspective, Mother Jones estimates that right now we are disposing of enough K-Cups to wrap around the world more than 10.5 times. Hot Diggity Damn! Now tell me if you think this is a problem?
To make matters worse China doesn’t want our trash anymore. And that can mean BIG PROBLEMS for big cities soon. If you are a fan of Disney, think Wall-E. K-Cups are recyclable according to the company, but the cups have actual issues getting into recycling from consumers and then through the process at plants. Currently, in order to be processed properly it has to be disassembled into the paper and plastic parts.
4. Your Coffee Smells Way Better
I’m pretty big on smell. I need my coffee to smell like something I want to drink especially before I brew it. Take a whiff of the K-Cup and then take a whiff of coffee in a compostable coffee pod and you will smell the difference right away. You can actually smell coffee instead of plastic. So if you live by your senses, you’ll love the way they smell more.
5. Take Your Coffee Off The Grid
The energy expended to create your compostable coffee pods is way less than the energy expended to create a K-Cup. So if you are looking for something with less impact on the environment, you’ve found it. Energy is focused on a single serving of brewed coffee instead of a larger amount, and keeping it warm. Add into it the energy used to recycle the materials? With compostable cups all you add to the grid is just the brewing time with composted cups afterward.
6. Coffee Made With Compostable Coffee Pods Just Tastes Better
Compostable taste better since they use a paper filter instead of wire mesh or plastic to filter through. Don’t you love the taste of plastic in your coffee? You don’t? Well then, I’d recommend you choose something without plastic. You are already spending a lot for the quality and convenience so why not make it worth it?
7. This Coffee Keeps You On Your Toes!
Just a cup or two is all you need to improve cognitive function and mood. But don’t blame us if you get more productive *snort*. I know this point really has nothing to do with comparing pods to cups but, HELLO. It’s important people.
8. Eco-Friendly Companies Are Aiming For Better
These are the good guys trying to do something about pollution and health by providing solutions. Compostable materials are usually just the beginning. Eco-friendly companies are lowering their carbon footprint, reducing packaging, and picking fair trade and organic coffee. Give the good guys your money.
9. Use Those Coffee Grounds In Your Garden
Coffee filters compost for a neutral PH and brewed coffee grounds are slightly acidic. You can help your garden flourish with some good old fashioned coffee grounds.
10. Vote With Your Wallet Everyday to Reward Good Companies
According to the National Coffee Association almost a third of respondents owned a single cup brewing system. That’s a lot of purchasing power. Make sure you are using your dollars to say something about how you want your coffee to affect the environment. Support, today, the companies you want to be thriving tomorrow.
Mamavation Recommends Cameron’s Compostable Coffee Pods Over K-Cups
We at Mamavation recommend Cameron’s Coffee (especially their Organic French Roast BetterBrew Eco pods) for all of our ladies, and readers. Why?
Not only are they good for the planet, our health, and our wallets but they are the best tasting organic french roast in a pod we have tried.
Cameron’s Coffee BetterBrew Eco Coffee Pods, made with plant-based materials and compostable liding, will biodegrade within 90 days and are compatible with many single cup brewers including the Keurig 2.0. So this means you can switch easily if you are currently using a K-Cup. 
They roast organic, shade grown, 100% specialty grade Arabica coffee that is Rainforest Alliance certified from farms around the world. Cameron’s also has virtually eliminated water waste in production. How cool is that?
They have flavored, sustainable, premium, roaster’s reserve ,and more for $6.99. 7 bucks for 12 servings is a good price for organic, sustainable, delicious home brewed coffee. My favorite is their Organic French Roast.
But don’t only take my word for it, make sure to check them out here.
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I agree with everything you have said; however I must admit I prefer the San Francisco coffee flavors to the Cameron’s flavored coffee. Both are great and work in the Keurig fine though. I suggest testing multiple flavors of each to find your favorite(s). My main point is for real coffee lovers: moving to compostable pods for the environment is NOT a move away from great coffee. Not only did I switch to compostable pods, I took out the cream and sugar for my own health benefits. I drink it weaker now, but the flavor is still wonderful. (By weaker, I don’t mean the flavors I drink are weaker, I simply brew two cups at a time from the same pod, if that makes sense). Good job protecting the environment all! Because if not you, then WHO?
I found this brand once and I just loved it !! Indeed to find more!
K-cups are terrible … I hope they get weeded out of existence, sooner rather than later!