In case you've missed all the hubbub, there is a lot of conversation going on right now about how environmentally unfriendly K-cups are. It is a valid point - the plastic is not biodegradable or recyclable (in the traditional sense) and they just end up in a landfill. According to a March 2, 2015 article by James Hamblin, published in The Atlantic, in 2014 enough K-cups were sold that if placed end-to-end, they would circle the globe somewhere between 10.5 and 12 times.
We do a lot of recycling at our house - plastic, metal, batteries, newspapers - and I own a Keurig machine. It sits conveniently on my kitchen counter, programmed to come on at 7:00 am so that I can have a cup of hot chocolate before heading in to work. So I was understandably concerned when I found out the pods were not biodegradable. I wondered, "How am I going to reconcile the situation?" Before I bought the Keurig, I had a different brand of single-serve machine that used small packets like this:
I didn't like the machine - it didn't work well - and they only had one flavor of hot chocolate. So instead, I usually bought packets of Land 'O Lakes hot chocolate and made it in the microwave.
But then I discovered Keurig and found that, although they don't make my favorite flavor (Yet. Hazelnut - please, please! hint, hint), they do have 3 different flavors and I like them all. So I bought one.
Back to the original question - what to do about the empty pods? I've discovered that there is a whole craft world out there that has lots of clever ideas for how to reuse the pods. Take a look at this post on viralnova.com, this one on happyhooligans.com or this one on entirelysmitten.com. They have some awesome ideas! Here are a few:
A craft supply organizer
Christmas decorations - look at the candy holders!
Lighted garland
Seed planters
And my all-time favorite:
Trinket box
Ladies - is this not ADORABLE?
I've been helping clients pick out their wedding invitations (yes, we do those too). Tis the season, after all. Is this not just the PERFECT WEDDING FAVOR???? Follow the link to get the instructions.
So I say DRINK UP! Then take those empty pods and be creative!