As part of its continuing series on the environment, this week the Lions Club of Kingsville looks at two issues that are having serious effects on our environment: coffee pods and palm oil plantations.
Did you know that there are enough discarded coffee pods to wrap around our planet 10 times? According to Professor Calvin Lakhan of the Faculty of Environmental Studies at Toronto’s York University, it’s estimated that more than 1.5 million coffee pods end up in domestic landfills each year, adding to Canada’s single-use plastics crisis.
Locally, the Essex-Windsor Solid Waste Authority has confirmed that it cannot recycle coffee pods.
In 2018 alone, it’s estimated that over 56 billion coffee pods globally were discarded into landfills. Since coffee pods are not typically recyclable nor biodegradable, they are very harmful to our environment.
K-Cup developer John Sylvan has noted in several interviews that he regrets his invention and doesn’t even use coffee pods. He has said that drip coffee is not difficult to make.
But, if you’re a coffee drinker, take heart! There is some good news on the horizon. Reusable coffee pods, now found in various retail stores or online, are considered a great alternative to the disposal coffee pods. With limited environmental impact, you can once again enjoy that morning coffee!
But these pesky coffee pods aren’t the only issue plaguing our environment. The matter of palm oil is another challenge that has come to light in recent years.
Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil that comes from the palm kernel. Palm oil is widely used. Just look around and you’ll find it in products like cookies, bread, margarine, microwave popcorn, cosmetics and pet food, as examples.
In order to produce this product, rainforests are being clear-cut and burned, destroying villages and habitat for animals such as the orangutan, Sumatran tiger, Sumatran rhinoceros, leopards, monkeys and more.
Palm oil plantations currently cover 27 million hectares of earth’s surface, the approximate size of New Zealand.
According to Rainforest Rescue, this has created “green deserts” with virtually no biodiversity. Rainforests and old-growth forests serve to stabilize Earth’s weather patterns. Their decimation leads to extreme weather events like mudslides, floods and drought.
So how can we help?
You can help to reduce the demand for palm oil by reading your labels and avoiding items that contain it. Better for your health! Better for our environment!
For more information on rainforest destruction, watch the YouTube video: There’s a Rang Tan in my bedroom.
Coffee Pods: Photo by Jisu Han on Unsplash
Palm Kernels: Image by tristantan from Pixabay
Palm Plantation: Photo by Attila Janosi on Unsplash
I find single-cup brewers to be an expensive (and wasteful) way to make a mediocre cup of coffee. As for the palm oil, I will be adding it to my watch list when reading labels. I hope we are seeing a shift in attitude on a larger scale that will turn the tide of destruction of our global home.
Very informative. Shows how humans want the earth to provide us with everything, without considering the consequences to others, the environment and nature.
If you do not have a few minutes for your coffee to brew, then have instant coffee.
Great article and as K-Cup developer John Sylvan said drip coffee is not difficult to make. So think about switching back to drip coffee.
Just wanted to mention, for those who may still be interested in buying pod coffee that in the last couple of years, Nespresso started sending red recycling bags with your coffee order. You just collect your used pods in the bag and pop the postage paid bag in the mail and they recycle them.