The Plastic Purge: Coffee and Tea
As the chilly weather moves in, the comfort of a warm beverage can be a great motivator to get out the door in the morning, but a making a cup of coffee or tea at home or at the shop down the street can contribute to plastic waste in our landfills. Here are some hot tips to keep the beverages coming without the plastic waste.
Making your morning coffee at home can contribute to plastic waste from the plastic Mr. Coffee or Keurig machine itself to the single use k-cups to make each cup. A great alternative to single-use k-cups is the refillable k-cup that can be filled with your favorite roast and reused over and over again. If you’re ready to say goodbye to Mr. Coffee or another plastic based coffee maker there are also alternatives like the French press, Moka pot, Chemex or pour over available in glass, metal, and porcelain making your morning brew entirely plastic free!
Although many of us toss our single use tea bags in the compost pile, many tea bags are sealed with polypropylene (plastic!) and this plastic can’t be recycled and is not biodegradable. Tea drinkers can reduce their plastic impact by ensuring they choose polypropylene free tea bags, or better still swapping single-use tea bags for loose tea and a reusable tea diffuser, tea ball, or reusable tea sachets.
If you plan to hit the café on the way to work for your daily pick-me-up, skip the disposable cup to reduce plastic coatings on the cup and the plastic lid by bringing your reusable travel mug along (BONUS: your drink will stay warmer even longer!). 
With these tips you can warm up, refuel, and feel great about reducing your plastic impact on the planet! Let us know how you use these tips or some of your own to decrease plastic waste this fall!