Can you guess the amount of espresso coffee, which is being consumed every day in homes, cafés, and offices? You make an educated guess by trying to remember how much coffee you had drunk at your home and at work last week and multiply it with several millions. People like to drink coffee and there would be nothing wrong with it, if most companies didn’t pack our favorite drink in non – degradable and non-recyclable cups. Unfortunately, this is the case with most cups which are being made lately, and this has inspired some of the major manufacturers to start finding solutions which would reduce the contamination caused by their products.
Recycling Problems
Many manufacturers of plastic packaging justify keeping their current production process by explaining that recycling is neither easy, nor cheap. If it were the case, they would have changed their materials and products long time ago. Although many NGOs are trying to emphasize the importance of biodegradable cups (some of them even invest in satirical videos aimed at some of the biggest companies), the situation is only slightly changed. Companies are still denying their guilt and state that they are doing all they can to change the current situation.
Using Different Materials
The solution might lay in changing the very materials, these cups are made of. The most popular material (which is the easiest to recycle) is Polyethylene Terephthalate, but it still takes up to ten years for a single cup made from it to fully decompose. The answer could be polystyrene – a simple plastic mass based on petroleum, which is easy to recycle. Sadly, there are no companies with the appropriate equipment which could recycle the cups made of this plastic since these are very small and get stuck in the sorting machines. Nevertheless, the competent authorities in this field are hoping that recycling of plastic coffee pods will be part of the protocol in most companies by the end of 2020.
You have a Choice
The easiest way to deal with the ever-growing pile of non-degradable coffee pods is simply to stop buying them. However, if you are not one of those people who can easily change their habits and you really like this kind of coffee, you can always choose the other option. Check out the super-green nespresso capsules which fit into every Nespresso machine. They are 100% biodegradable and can be disposed along with your everyday garbage.
You are responsible for your planet every minute of every day, no matter if you’re working out or drinking your morning coffee. Plastic cups and bottles are the greatest enemy of our environment in the present, so every biodegradable bag and cup which you use and reuse will prevent further damage. Buy yourself a ceramic mug with some nice print on it, and save the ‘coffee moment’ for your home or the break at work. This way, not only will you feel good while having your first morning coffee, but the feeling is going to be even better because you will care for Mother Nature.
