K-cup inventor regrets his invention
John Sylvan, inventor of the K-Cup, doesn't own a Keurig.
John makes drip brew coffee. "Before I go to bed, I put the coffee and water in, and when I wake up there's a pot of coffee," he said pointedly.
Originally, his idea was aimed at office workers that normally go to Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts. He wanted to design a faster, cheaper and "no fuss" solution that would lower waste from disposable coffee cups. He's upset that his design is, at best, carbon neutral in relation to the world prior to disposable coffee pods.
Over 25% of American homes and 40% of US workplaces have a pod coffee machine in them. Billions of coffee pods are dumped into landfills every year which take 500 years to decompose.
Recyclable pods don't help because people don't recycle enough.
Reusable pods are a good idea but it begs the question — why not buy a drip brew coffee maker for single cups?
Drip brew coffee is the better option for environmentally-friendlier cups of coffee. Americans have an obsession with convenience because we prioritize strong work ethics.
Either convenience needs to be sacrificed for sustainability, or more likely, sustainable designs need to continue playing catch up with convenience.
If sustainability is important to you, it's worth considering going back to your old Mr. Coffee machine.