If there’s one downside to Keurig’s K-Cups, it’s the fact that it can turn into a big plastic waste. Unfortunately, most K-Cups are still non-recyclable. But luckily, there are some brands that are working towards providing a great selection of K-Cups that are eco-friendly and recyclable.
Which Brands Make Eco-Friendly, Compostable K-Cup Pods?
Unfortunately, the amount of brands that make compostable or recyclable K-Cup pods are limited when compared to plastic K-Cup pods. The good news is, the brands that do make those eco-friendly pods have enough varieties to meet every person’s taste.
To name a few: SF Bay, Cameron’s, Maud’s, GLORYBREW and Beaniac.
What Keurig Machines Are These Pods Compatible With?
They’re compatible with Keurig and any K-Cup brewer from any brand. For Keurig 2.0 compatibility, confirm with the package before buying.
Best Compostable and Recyclable Eco Friendly K-Cup Pods
If medium roast isn’t your favorite, San Francisco Bay offers many other blends and varieties. From light Donut Shop blend, French Roast, Dark French Roast or the world’s favorite Colombian Coffee.
Cameron’s has a wide variety of coffee to pick from. Organic specialty coffees, single-origins or flavored coffees. They also have some tea pods..
For those with a sweet tooth, this variety pack contains 6 different blends of medium roast flavored coffee. The flavors are quite intriguing, and we imagine adding a hint of milk with bring out these flavors even better:
- French Toast Roast: cinnamon with a taste of maple syrup and butter.
- Sister Hazelnut: smooth flavor of toasted hazelnut and vanilla.
- Gone Banana’s Fosters: Subtle notes of banana and vanilla ice cream with buttery brown sugar, cinnamon and dark rum.
- Raspberry Choco-Latte: taste of raspberry blended with chocolate flavor and powdered sugar.
- Hottie Biscotti Vanilla Almond: notes of Vanilla Ice cream with toasted almonds.
- Jamaican Rum Yum: Notes of sweet molasses, caramel coconut and vanilla.
Our tea loving friends, we have not forgotten you! This variety pack includes a variety of organic tea blends:
Passion Green Tea, English Breakfast Black Tea, Herbal Peppermint Tea, Black Spiced Chai Tea, Green Matcha Tea, Green Jasmine Tea, Herbal Chamomile Lavender Tea, Black Earl Grey Tea.
If you’re not sure you want to buy in large quantities just yet, buying a sampler pack is the way to go. Sampler packs contain 8 pods of each kind, and you only pay for shipping and handling. This way, you get a taste of the coffee and tea pods before buying large quantities.
Compostable vs. Recyclable Pods – What’s The Difference?
You might have noticed that some of these pods (Maud’s) are recyclable. While others (SF Bay’s, Cameron’s) are compostable. Here’s a quick explanation of that that means…
A recycable item is something that is made of a material that can be broken down and used again as a raw material. Maud’s K-Cup pods are made from recyclable #5 plastic and are made in a solar energy powered facility with the goal of being carbon neutral by year 2024.
On the other hand, Cameron’s and SF Bay’s are compostable pods. This means that the pods are made from natural materials that can be broken down on their own and turned back into nature. The pod bag and valve are made from plant based materials, however, do note that they are certified Commercially Compostable, which means you cannot compost them yourself at home.
