Caffeinated beverages are a staple of the workplace experience. 

But while having a warm cup of joe at work can easily make the difference in your day, it can also lead to waste. 

Thankfully, there are opportunities to improve. Consider the following options based on your office’s needs:

Good: Single-Serving Machine with plastic pod recycling

Machines like Keurigs are popular both in offices and at-home. 

Benefits:

Brews single servings, which eliminates the potential of making too much coffee and the associated energy cost of that waste.

Keurig has a program called K-Cycle® through which you can ship back used K-Cups. Once received, the cups are separated into the grounds, which are composted, and the cup, which is recycled. Their website also contains an impact calculator and printable signage! You can sign up to participate for free through NYU Procurement. 

Downside:

K-Cups are a huge source of plastic waste. Although plastic is recyclable, the process is complicated, plastics are diverse, and plastic degrades each time it is recycled. Further, both the current market and the local government determine whether plastic can be recycled at all. To learn more about the harms and challenges of using plastic, check out this National Geographic article.

Better: Single-Serving Machine with aluminum pod recycling 

Machines like Nespresso are a high-quality and low-waste option.

Benefits:

Aluminum can be recycled infinitely without a loss in quality – this makes it much easier and more desirable to recycle. Nespresso machines use cups completely made out of aluminum and they have a free dedicated recycling and composting scheme. 

Downside:

Nespresso is a more expensive brand. Additionally, these machines make espresso drinks, which is not always the preferred coffee choice.

Better: Drip Coffee Machine

Drip coffee machines can help meet the needs of offices with high levels of coffee consumption. 

Benefits:

Drip coffee machines do not create material waste that requires recycling and the grounds (and filters) are easily composted. You can also opt for a reusable filter.

Downside:

One thing to consider is whether or not the machine has a hot water reservoir or on-demand hot water. These features consume an inefficient amount of energy to keep water continuously hot, which can make your setup less sustainable.

Best: Bean-to-Cup machine

There are many bean-to-cup options. Discuss what’s available and a feasible option for your office pantry space.

Benefits:

This setup utilizes beans directly rather than wasteful single-use capsules, along with eliminating the waste of unconsumed coffee and the energy used to continuously heat water. 

Downside:

Bean-to-cup machines are large and may not fit in every pantry space, and they may have a monthly rental fee.

Work From Home?

Some sustainable choices include a french press, pour over, a moka pot, a Chemex, or a percolator. These may also be viable options for smaller offices, depending on your set up! 

Final Tips

• Make sure you’re getting your coffee beans from a sustainable and ethical source.
• Encourage your colleagues to use mugs or reusable tumblers rather than disposable cups.
• Provide plant-based milk options.
• Make composting coffee grounds and tea leaves easy and obvious.
• Consider providing loose leaf tea rather than tea bags, which often contain plastic and can’t be composted.
• Avoid single use creamer, sugar, and stirring sticks.
• When investing in any coffee machine, make sure you are assessing the durability of the machine and evaluating the materials the machine is made of (i.e. plastic vs metal).