K-Cups

Many Americans are brewing single cups of coffee each morning, but most of the brew pods known as K-Cups end up in landfills because they aren’t recyclable or biodegradable. In 2014, enough K-Cups were sold that if placed end-to-end, they would circle the globe 10.5 times. Keurig Green Mountain, the company that manufactures the coffee machine and pods, has pledged to create a fully recyclable version of its product by 2020. Of course, K-cups are hardly the only product that prioritizes convenience over the environment. But that list should be shrinking, not expanding.