HOW TO DISPOSE OF OR RECYCLE COFFEE MAKERS, GROUNDS, FILTERS

I care about the environmental footprint of my caffeine habit, so I love these different ways to recycle, compost, or reduce coffee waste.

If you brew a lot of coffee, you’ll notice you generate a lot of waste — coffee grounds, filters, pods, capsules, and even coffee makers themselves.

But don’t worry. A lot of coffee waste is compostable, recyclable, or reusable. In this article, I’ll teach you how to make your coffee more sustainable without sacrificing your morning brew. You’ll even save some money in the process!

How To Recycle A Coffee Maker

There are two reasons you might want to get rid of your coffee maker: it no longer works or you’re ready for an upgrade. 

If your coffee maker still works, don’t dispose of it. Take it to a local Goodwill store or pass it along to a friend in need. From an environmental standpoint, reusing a kitchen appliance trumps recycling.

On the other hand, if your coffee maker is no longer working, the odds are that even your most desperate friends won’t want to take it off your hands. In this case, recycling the coffee maker is the best bet. 

To recycle coffee makers, assuming we’re talking about electronic drip coffee makers, you’ll probably need to take them to a local recycling facility for proper disposal. The specifics of this will vary by state and country but should be the same as when you recycle small appliances.

Electric coffee makers are E-waste and should not be thrown in the trash.

If you’re looking to dispose of a non-electric coffee maker – like a French press, pour over brewer, or percolator coffee pot –  you might be able to use the curbside recycling bin options in your jurisdiction. Just make sure the coffee maker is clean, and separate its components by material: plastic, glass, and metal.

Pro tip: Another great option? Consider upcycling! Upcycling is when you renew a product by giving it a new purpose, like turning those ripped jeans into denim shorts. Think about turning your old coffee maker into a planter or watering system for your houseplants.

How to Recycle Coffee Pods

Not all coffee capsules and pods are created equal when it comes to ease of recycling and disposal. 

Let’s start with the ubiquitous K-Cups. Once upon a time, Green Mountain promised that all K-Cups would be recyclable. So far, they have not followed through on this promise. And even where K-Cups are recyclable, the recycling program is not straightforward. You’ll need to peel off the foil lid, dump the coffee grounds, and separately recycle the plastic cup. 

Given that most people buy Keurig brewers for their convenience, it’s no surprise that K-Cups continue to end up in landfills, where they have adverse environmental effects. 

Fortunately, Green Mountain is no longer the only name in the game. If you have a Keurig single-serve coffee machine and want an environmentally friendly brew, check out other brands offering recyclable or biodegradable K-Cups.

Nespresso capsules are significantly better. For starters, they are made entirely of aluminum, no plastic. More importantly, Nespresso has worked hard to establish an in-house recycling program that’s as easy to use as their coffee machines. 

You can order a free Nespresso recycling bag shipped to your home. Once you’ve filled it with used capsules, just drop it off at one of the hundreds of collection points worldwide, where it will be shipped free back to Nespresso recycling facilities. You don’t even need to rinse out the ground coffee! Once the used pods arrive at Nespresso, they separate the grounds as compost and recycle the aluminum (1).

The other standard coffee pods are ESE pods, also called coffee pods or coffee pads, which resemble large tea bags. These are fully compostable, which makes them the most convenient option for safe disposal.

How to Compost Coffee Filters

You can compost most coffee filters, as long as they are standard paper filters without special coatings or additives. The high carbon content of paper filters makes them a healthy addition to your compost. Don’t worry that some paper filters are bleached or contain trace amounts of other chemicals. They’re present in minute quantities that won’t impact your soil. 

Pro tip: To help paper filters break down faster, shred them into smaller pieces when you add them to the compost pile.

Can you reuse coffee filters?

You can reuse paper coffee filters, though not indefinitely. Alan Adler, the inventor of the AeroPress, famously reused his AeroPress filters for multiple brewing cycles, although he had access to unlimited filters (2). 

To reuse a paper filter after brewing a coffee pot, first, wait for it to cool down. Then dispose of the used coffee grounds. Rinse the now-empty filter with fresh water and allow it to dry until you’re ready to brew again.

The number of times you can reuse a filter depends on the sturdiness of the paper used, but in general, two or three uses are probably the most practical.

Pro tip: Instead of reusing filters, get rid of paper filters altogether by investing in a cloth or metal filter.

How to Use Used Coffee Grounds

Good coffee beans are expensive, so you might as well use them for more than just a cup of coffee. There are lots of ways to use coffee beyond just enjoying a cup and disposing of the grounds down the sink – which isn’t a very good idea, by the way.

The most popular use for used coffee grounds is to add them to your garden, where they provide multiple benefits. They add vital nutrients like nitrogen and potassium to the soil, help absorb heavy metals, and attract earthworms.

Bowls of coffee grounds can control odors or act as a natural insect repellent. Another everyday use is a body scrub, often mixed with other kitchen staples like honey and oatmeal. The coarse coffee grounds are exfoliating, while the residual caffeine perks up your skin. In the same vein, coffee grounds can be used as a household scrub for cleaning sinks, showers, and stubborn pots and pans.

Pro tip: A particularly clever use for coffee grounds is as a tenderizer for meat. Coffee contains natural acids and enzymes that break down tough meat, and as a bonus, it adds a delicious roasted flavor that pairs incredibly well with red meat. Try it at your next barbecue! Just add them to a dry rub.

Final Thoughts

With the information in this article, you can cut your coffee waste to near zero. You’re going to save money, ease the pressure on landfills, and enhance your garden. You might even exfoliate your skin or grill up a mean steak! So go ahead and enjoy that coffee (or two or three) guilt-free.