Coffee Pods

Coffee pods made of plastic, such as K-Cups, should be disposed of with regular household trash. Coffee pods do not belong in the recycling bin. As an alternative, several companies make reusable coffee pods that can be refilled with fresh coffee grounds. Check with the manufacturer and read online reviews, as quality and compatibility may vary.

Mail-in recycling options:

• Recycle A Cup makes a device to easily separate the materials. If you separate the plastic cups from the other materials, you can save them up and ship to: Medelco, Incorporated, Att: RAC Processing, 54 Washburn Street, Bridgeport, CT 06605
• Keurig’s “Grounds to Grow On” program sells “recovery bins” for storage of large quantities of K-Cups. According to their website, they will separate the materials; they send the coffee grounds & paper filters to be composted, while the other K-Cup materials are incinerated by Coventa Energy in a waste-to-energy process.
• Terracycle sells boxes to recycle coffee discs and capsules in.

Coffee pods with a simple fabric or paper shell – and no other material – can be composted in a backyard composting pile or placed in the food scrap bins at your town-drop off or at the District Transfer Station. If not composted, they can be thrown in the trash.