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Oh, coffee. What would I do without you sweet, sweet coffee?
Unfortunately that caffeine kick is something I’ve never been able to, well…kick.
But when you take a closer look at the coffee industry, it can be quite shocking honestly. A lot more goes into your favorite morning beverage then you may think.
It’s estimated that around 72% of Canadians drink coffee everyday. But do you actually know what goes into that comforting drink in your hand?
Coffee comes a long way before it even gets to us. and commercially branded coffee is one of the most heavily polluted food products on the market. Your morning brew also comes with a side of deforestation, exploitation, pollution, plastic packaging, oh, and tons of carbon emissions
Coffee bean farmers and mother earth are being exploited for our morning fix.
Now, I could tell you to boycott coffee entirely but I just spent the last 4 months without coffee (due to health reasons) and it wasn’t easy. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone. (Ok, it wasn’t THAT bad but boy did I miss my morning brew.)
So here are a few things you can start doing to create a conscious coffee routine that is mindful of not only where your beans come from but also cutting back on waste in the process.
My zero-waste coffee routine:
1. Choose better beans
All coffee starts with the bean. Do you know where yours come from? It’s important when making your coffee consumption mindful to choose fair-trade beans. Beans you know were sourced ethically and are organic.
Trust me, cream tastes better in coffee than a dose of chemicals. My go-to is Ethical bean coffee. From start to finish this company is with their beans the whole process, working closely with their coffee partners. Plus fresh beans always make the best coffee anyway.
2. Skip the disposable coffee products
Now, before anyone comes for me: I do still own a Keurig and I have nothing against them. However, I do think that to create less waste you’re better off with a french press or Chemex.
If you insist on using your Keurig, I encourage you to buy reusable coffee pods.
If you’re using a regular coffee pot, a single-serve pour-over cone or even a multiple serve pour over, use reusable coffee filters. Not only will this save you a TON of money but will also help you radically reduce waste.
3. Grind your own beans
Not only does it taste WAY better, but it’s also a more eco-friendly option. Since I’ve started grinding my own beans, I’ve cut down on a lot of plastic waste that traditional ground coffee comes in.
Plus it’s super simple! Try grinding your own beans with this manual coffee bean grinder!
4. Get a reusable to-go cup
An average of 7 million disposable cups are thrown away each day. At this point, there are simply no more excuses for single-use cups. Most to-go cups have a thin layer of polyurethane on the inside making them nonrecyclable.
Sustainable coffee doesn’t just stop at home. Make sure to bring a reusable mug with you and ask coffee shops to put your drink in it. You could save hundreds of coffee cups a year.
Invest in a reusable coffee mug like this keepcup.
5. Support coffee shops that use fair-trade coffee
This might take a little research on your part but it’s seriously worth it knowing your pennies are supporting the livelihoods of hard-working farmers.
This isn’t to say you can never enjoy your Starbucks again, just make sure to take your reusable cup!
6. Re-use your coffee grounds
Don’t throw out your coffee grounds just yet! There are a couple of ways you can use your used coffee grounds to reduce even less waste!
Not only are coffee grounds totally compostable but are also great to use in your garden as a fertilizer!
Other than that you could use them as a natural wood stain or even in DIY body scrubs! Because they smell AH-MAZING!
And there you have it! My tips to have a zero-waste coffee routine! How will you clean up your coffee routine?
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