Usually, when surfing the web, you'll see environmentalists mentioning all the different ways you can save the planet. Strangely, though, finding someone to teach you how to recycle coffee pods, for example, isn't very easy.
The reason this situation is strange is that Canada is a major consumer of coffee. Despite the country's relatively small population, Canada is still expected to consume about 4.85 million 60kg bags of coffee by the end of October 2021. With people drinking that much coffee, it's obvious that the waste must be going somewhere. But, wherever that is, it has to be a place that's safe for the environment.
If you're a coffee drinker, today, we'll be showing you how to recycle coffee pods and capsules. That way, you'll enjoy your favourite beverage without compromising the entire planet after each sip.
How Can You Save the Planet by Recycling Coffee?
Considering the effort required, among other things, it's not exactly very common to see people recycling their coffee. However, that shouldn't stop you because the safety of the earth is a lofty result to aim for. Here are a few pointers on how to recycle coffee pods and capsules.
Let the company recycle your coffee pods
If you are keen on finding out how to recycle coffee pods, but you're not entirely sure how to do it, you might as well just leave it to the company. With this method, you will not need to rinse out the coffee grinds, and you don’t even have to empty them out either. All that is required of you is to add a simple task to your routine.
You can usually find out the peculiarities of the task by contacting the company on how to go about it. For the sake of clarity, though, when we say "the company," we mean any coffee-related company that helps recycle coffee pods. Of course, you probably have to be patronizing the company to have them recycle for you.
Nevertheless, one relatively common variation of this "task" involves ordering a recycling bag from the company. After they deliver the bag to your home/office, you can fill it up with your coffee pods. Usually, each bag can hold between 100 to 200 pods. When the bag is full, to get the pods recycled, you'll have to drop it at the company's waste collection centre.
Any company that supports the recycling of coffee pods will have waste collection centres at different points within the country. So, if you buy coffee pods in Canada, you merely have to search through the company's website to figure out which waste collection centre is the closest to you. When you drop off your recycling bag, your journey is complete.
Dispose of the coffee capsules as required
If you're the type to use coffee capsules instead of pods, you may not be very concerned about the whole talk on how to recycle coffee pods. However, you should know that recycling coffee capsules is a bit more complicated.
The reason behind that statement is that most coffee capsules are made of plastic. As someone who's even remotely interested in protecting the environment, we're sure you know the dangers of disposing of plastic carelessly.
Unfortunately, with plastic coffee capsules, you don't have the luxury of just tossing them into the trash whole because of the aluminum component. So, what do you do if you want to dispose of your capsule properly for recycling?
The first step is to remove the aluminum tab from the capsule's plastic body. When you're through with that, you'll need to wash out the coffee grinds. This is to ensure that you don't dispose of any biodegradable components alongside the plastic capsule itself.
As soon as you're done washing it out, you can throw out the plastic capsule in the plastic waste container. You can dispose of the aluminum foil, too, in like manner. The only difference is that it'll be going into an aluminum container. As soon as that's done, the city can take care of it, and you'll have played your part in making the earth less toxic.
Related article: Why Are Coffee Pods Growing In Popularity?
Switch to biodegradable materials
Instead of using plastic capsules or worrying about how to recycle coffee pods, you can switch to biodegradable coffee containers. For starters, most coffee pods in Canada are made out of biodegradable paper. So, even if you cannot take them to the company, you can just dispose of them.
Alongside the other benefits of coffee pods for the environment, this ease of disposal/recycling is one of the significant advantages of coffee pods.
However, if you prefer to use capsules, you can choose to use biodegradable capsules instead of their plastic counterparts specifically. These kinds of capsules are pretty similar to plastic. However, they are made up of organic molecules.
Because of their unique composition, you won’t have to wash out the coffee grinds when you're done with your biodegradable capsule. You can easily toss it into the organic trash container with whatever is left inside. Afterwards, the waste disposal agency will come around and send it straight to the composting site.
How Can You Save the Planet by Reusing Your Coffee Pods
Instead of tossing them out, you can reuse coffee pods, coffee capsules, and even your coffee grinds. This method provides a sustainable way of saving the planet. However, there is still the question of how to reuse your coffee pods. To answer that, here are a few ideas:
You can use it to remove unpleasant smells
There's hardly anyone who can deny ever catching a particularly offensive odour in their refrigerator. Don't worry. We won't judge. It happens to the best of us. Nevertheless, you shouldn't let that smell linger for too long.
One way you can deal with it is by adding coffee grinds to the affected area. If it is your refrigerator, you can put used coffee grinds into small bowls and leave them in the fridge overnight.
By the next morning, the coffee pods will have absorbed the smells already. You could also use it for your car, your cabinet, or even your hands. After handling fish, onions, or garlic, you can rub coffee grinds on your hands, and you won’t have to deal with that nasty smell.
You can use it to fix scratches on your furniture
Most pieces of furniture are brown, like coffee grinds. So, if you're looking to protect the environment, you can use coffee grinds to fix your furniture scratches. That way, you wouldn't have to pay for expensive new paint.
For this to be successful, though, you should ensure that they're slightly damp first. When you've made sure of that, you can rub the used coffee grinds into the scratch very gently. As soon as you're sure that you've covered the affected area properly, wait for about five minutes to dry up.
Then, you can go ahead and wipe out the smudges with a piece of cloth. If you're not satisfied because the tone is slightly off, you can just repeat the process until you're okay with the results.
You can use it as fertilizer
If you keep a garden, this should be pretty encouraging for you. Even when you've had your fill of caffeine from them, coffee pods still contain a reasonable amount of nutrients. So much so that they can help your plants grow if you use them as fertilizer.
You can work them into the soil in your garden. With a little elbow grease and a few hours of work, you should have soil richer in nutrients from your coffee grinds. Just keep in mind that you may need a little more than just one coffee cup's worth of grinds.
You can use it to reduce dust
Dealing with dust while cleaning out your fireplace can be particularly disturbing. When you consider the coughing and irritated eyes that can come along with it, it's not hard to understand why it's some people's least favourite chore. Thankfully, coffee grinds can help you in this area as well.
Just before you start cleaning out your fireplace, you can add some coffee grinds to the area. As long as they're wet, they'll help dampen the fireplace and reduce the amount of smoke and dust that you have to deal with while cleaning. That way, you can conveniently complete your chores without bursting into a coughing fit in the process.
In Conclusion
If you're wondering how to recycle coffee pods or generally want to do better as a coffee drinker, this article must've provided a few pointers. However, it isn't enough to simply read it. If you must save the planet, you have to recycle your coffee and reuse it when possible.
Now that you know how to recycle coffee pods, you still need your coffee in the morning. To get your daily dose of caffeine goodness, you should check out our online store for coffee pods, where we offer different varieties and flavours. With Invigo Coffee, it’s goodness in every cup!
Related article: When is the Best Time to Drink Coffee Made From Coffee Pods
