I’m always looking for simple ways to make my home more sustainable. Whether it’s upcycling items, ditching a not sustainable practice, or incorporating something new. Today I want to share 3 tips to create a sustainable coffee bar!
1) Switch to reusable k-cups/pods
My first if the the 3 tips create a sustainable coffee bar is to switch to a reusable k-cup (or equivalent, like a machine that doesn’t require any pods at all!). I have a Keurig machine and it has the option to use your own coffee beans in a reusable k-cup, rather than purchasing the cups already.
Most, if not all, coffee pods are made of plastic and if you drink 1 cup a day that’s at least 7 plastic pods/week. I believe it’s even more economical to get your favorite coffee beans and use them in the reusable k-cup! We love to get coffee from local coffee shops and use in our machine. That way we are supporting local, reducing our carbon footprint and reducing our single waste plastic consumption.
If you have a Nespresso, they have a really amazing recycling program that’s free! We really wanted to get a Nespresso but HI isn’t part of the free recycling program so we opted for the Keurig. Learn more about the Nespresso recycling program if you’re interested!
Here are some coffee makers that can use the reusable k-cups or just use your favorite coffee directly!
Shop coffee makers here!
2) Compost Coffee Grounds
We recently started composting and it feels so good to have made this small sustainable change. Now instead of throwing our used coffee grounds in the trash, we are able to compost them! I’ve seen that coffee grounds make great fertilizer so even if you don’t have a compost you can sprinkle some of your coffee grounds onto your plant’s soil to help them grow! There are other creative ways to use coffee grounds and Pinterest has tons of ideas!
If you’re wanting to start composting, here are some compost bins to get you started! I definitely will be upgrading to one of these as we started off with a basic bucket haha that doesn’t This Vitamix compost bin expedites the decomposition process!! So crazy cool! While this one looks so sleek and doesn’t take up too much space.
3) Use a plastic-free/ethical plastic coffee cup
Shop compost bins here!
It’s reaaaalllly hard to avoid plastic for me. It’s everywhere! Although I’m trying to purchase plastic free alternatives, it seems like sometimes it’s very challenging. For example, finding a completely plastic free portable coffee thermos, for me was challenging.
When I discovered the brand, Keep Cup, I was very impressed with their movement, philosophy and sustainable practices.
I use my Keep Cup daily for my coffee/tea beverages. There are several color options and a cute cork hand grip. There are other more affordable ones that I want to add to my cupboard…like this plastic free cup! Here are other sustainable coffee cups you can get!!
Shop sustainable cups here!
Go small!
If you’re starting your sustainable living journey, I hope sharing these 3 tips to create a sustainable coffee bar helped inspire or motivate you to make small changes in becoming more sustainable! It’s okay to go small and make changes at your own pace! Thanks for reading! Have a beautiful day! —Melissa
Ps. Don’t forget to check our Kari’s recent post to get some matching outfits for this upcoming holiday weekend! Check out her favorite 4th of July picks here!
* thank you fo everyone who purchases using our links! we make a small commission if you purchase using our links and it means so very much to us!! We love you!
Leave a Reply