Can I recycle my Keurig K-Cups?

by Suzanne Dionne
(Woodbury, CT. USA)

QUESTION:

What exactly is the K-cup made of? What grade plastic is it?

ANSWER:

Good question. I have a Keurig brewer myself and have opened up a K-Cup in the hope of being able to find some clue at to whether the plastic is recyclable. But I haven’t found anything – not the recyclable logo, nor a number.

In addition, it's tough separating the plastic cup from the foil lid and the filter material that is attached inside.

I have pretty much given up on being able to recycle the used K-Cups. It's frustrating, particularly when you see quite a pile of them building up in the garbage.

More and more now I use a re-usable filter basket when using my Keurig brewer. After each use I simply pour out the used coffee grinds, (for my compost), wash the filter and use it again next time.

You can get a "My K-Cup" re-usable filter cup for Keurig Brewers here...