Keurig K-Cups and Earth Are Fine
By Janet Peace
Keurig is not uneconomical coffee drinkers unify!
One of the major goals of Keurig is to share a better "earth" by keeping the environmental issues at hand.
In one of their statements
And I Quote
As a company, we are committed to responsible business practices that are achievable, sustainable and inspiring. We would like to share what we at Keurig, Incorporated are achieving in cooperation with GMCR to brew a better world...for both gourmet coffee lovers and lovers of best practices in corporate responsibility.
Unquote
Some seem to believe that Keurig is causing plastic issues with the K-cups they use for their machines, although I am not a spokesperson for Keurig, in my opinion they are well inside the EPA standards. Before taxes, the company gives 5% of their profits to many environmental projects both locally and globally. Plus their trucks run on a Biodiesel fuel and the top installation and dispersion multiplexes run on solar power.
The tackle with Keurig (and they admit it as well) is to provide an ecologically aware portion pack (K-Cup) that would render an extraordinary cup of coffee, but as of today, they are actively seeking this question.
These K-Cup Portion packs need to keep oxygen, illumination and moisture to enter the k-cup and that barrier needs to be set for a fresh cup of coffee. Without these features the quality and freshness would be a major problem, and with the k-cup, there are companies such as Folgers, Dunkin Donuts and more who are now on-board, and I do not think Keurig wants to devalue and downgrade the level of freshness to these other companies k-cup's. The hope has to be to keep the k-cups fresh, and the coffee at a sovereign caliber.
Did you know that in September of 2010, a paper K-cup was created by Keurig that is renewable, the problem was that it still held 10% polyethylene (PE) which is not layer which when drained, does not allow the K-cup to be considered a non-biodegradable product.
I've been on this planet since 1957, and I realize the concerns (although overboard) for the surroundings - but on a major scale, I think the red tape of the green world is a bit overboard. But that is my opinion, and not Keurigs.
An idea that may work for all parties?
Is it possible to fix this issue, I think it is. It takes some beyond the box thinking and with this idea, Keurig can make more profits, and please the EPA as well. I believe this is a green answer to the green issue, when it comes to K-Cups.
This is my plan to save the earth from K-Cup evil.
Used Coffee grounds and scrap make great nutrient for earthworms? Vermi-compost is a great resource for creating organic soil. Worms create this. Get the idea? On a big scale, an earthworm bin (even you can create one) will create organic dirt and the food can be easily from chopping up k-cups in a large bin, feed millions of worms. Organic Dirt in a massive scale would be produced. Talk about environment going green on natural steroids!
I urge any coffee organization use the idea of used coffee grounds as a form of food to feed worms, which in turn bring about the drippings that make the organic soil. Now for Keurig, maybe they can start a side business by creating "Keurig Soil" using the k-cup remains. Is it possible to give a bit back for any k-cup returned - like returns on glass bottles for pop. It would take a lot of coordination and labor, but in the long run, it probably would keep all parties happy, as the k-cup is returned, instant rebates take place at certain stores, the cups are returned to Keurig, where they can create Organic Soil (vermi-composting) and properly dispose of the 10% plastic found in their k-cups.
