Wake up and smell the K-Cups
Perhaps we should thank Adam Minter for his seductively misleading OpEd, “Your coffee pods aren’t killing the planet;” it tests the planet-wise acuity of my fellow Central Coast Californians, and better, highlights the forward thinking of Hamberg, Germany, for eliminating the things.
What does he have — stock in Keurig? Of course they are an ecological scourge! While Mr. Minter is careful to discuss landfill consequences of K-Cups, and even the life-cycle of coffee bean growing — including carbon contribution (commendable) — he carefully skirts the life cycle of the K-Cup itself. Which being plastic, is made of fossil fuel and requires even more to manufacture and transport (at 8.5 billion, that’s a hell of a habit).
As such, it blithely gives another thumbs-ups to single-serve plastic containers as an accepted way of life, which neither our planet nor bodies can sustain.
Rebecca Townsend, San Luis Obispo
This story was originally published March 12, 2016 at 8:58 PM with the headline "Wake up and smell the K-Cups."