To time-travel back a decade and disclose that coffee is traded in the form of individual packets alike its complementary cream or sugar would result in a roar of laughter. Nevertheless, the ability to elude the act of rinsing and preparing of coffee capsules has generated the premium level of convenience for consumers, bestowing coffee companies with tremendous success. In fact, the coffee capsule market has unimaginably expanded to the extent where environmental concerns regarding the packaging has arisen. Environmentalists and governments have contemplated and experimented with a diverse of methods to counteract the supplementary influx of unrecyclable plastic into our landfills.
BBC News reported two resolutions to the obstacle in the form of restriction and reform. Employing social media, environmental activists established the “Kill the K-cup” campaign to eliminate the capsules entirely, successfully prompting the city of Hamburg to implement a city-wide capsule prohibition in government institutions (BBC News). …show more content…
Despite depicting the city’s position regarding the products, the environmental effects are negligible as capsule consumption is predominately from personal households and corporations. If this legislation is extended towards entire populations, dwindling government confidence will ensue as unjustified enforcement is implanted on a product that lacks of immediate threat and this undermines freedom of choice. Passionate coffee consumers and coffee companies will be particularly outraged at a capsule prohibition and gradually any legislation will be overturned through persistent lobbying. For the reform alternative, businesses are formulating capsules with enhanced recycling capabilities (BBC News). Certain companies are advancing their capsules while few have allegedly actualized biodegradable packaging (BBC News). Furthermore, individual corporations are incorporating capsule reusing programs and lobbying governments to commence similar initiatives (BBC News). It accomplishes the role of alleviating consumer concerns, but without an established channel for capsule collection, it fails to engender concreate development. Uneconomical exclusive stations will be necessarily implemented as the capsules tumble through conventional sorting grates in recycling facilities and specifically transporting capsules counteracts the entire convenience aspect (Hamblin). European Environmental Bureau’s Piotr Barczak exclaims that recycling proposals are essentially last resorts with massive financial burdens and induce insignificant returns (BBC News). The complete appealing aspect of coffee capsules are unquestionably the convenience. If convenience is purposely disregarded, traditional coffee brewing or reusable capsules would be employed (K-Cup.com). Alas, among other sins, humans are cursed with an incurable lethargy nature, thus an optimal solution unescapably cannot demand any degree of additional commitment from consumers and companies. Therefore, the sole solution that accommodates these circumstances while remaining pragmatic is to manufacture capsules with exclusively compostable components, not recyclable nor biodegradable. Recyclable materials suggest undesired responsibility as previously explained and biodegradable resources inadequately biodegrade in high-pressure landfills (EarthTalk). Composed of entirely compostable elements enables consumers to conveniently and appropriately dispose capsules in previously securely established compost systems. Various companies have thoroughly contrived compostable capsules, yet they either dispense insufficient coffee variety such as Caffè Vergnano (CaffeVergnano.com) or plainly are deprived of market share alike Club Coffee (Club-Coffee.com). To grant social enterprises the capacity to equivalently contend against the dominant corporations, the supreme response for all levels of government is to temporarily administer tax-breaks and forge collaborations with business that actively advertise and retail compostable coffee capsules. Government assistance will balance the current oligopoly
BBC News reported two resolutions to the obstacle in the form of restriction and reform. Employing social media, environmental activists established the “Kill the K-cup” campaign to eliminate the capsules entirely, successfully prompting the city of Hamburg to implement a city-wide capsule prohibition in government institutions (BBC News). …show more content…
Despite depicting the city’s position regarding the products, the environmental effects are negligible as capsule consumption is predominately from personal households and corporations. If this legislation is extended towards entire populations, dwindling government confidence will ensue as unjustified enforcement is implanted on a product that lacks of immediate threat and this undermines freedom of choice. Passionate coffee consumers and coffee companies will be particularly outraged at a capsule prohibition and gradually any legislation will be overturned through persistent lobbying. For the reform alternative, businesses are formulating capsules with enhanced recycling capabilities (BBC News). Certain companies are advancing their capsules while few have allegedly actualized biodegradable packaging (BBC News). Furthermore, individual corporations are incorporating capsule reusing programs and lobbying governments to commence similar initiatives (BBC News). It accomplishes the role of alleviating consumer concerns, but without an established channel for capsule collection, it fails to engender concreate development. Uneconomical exclusive stations will be necessarily implemented as the capsules tumble through conventional sorting grates in recycling facilities and specifically transporting capsules counteracts the entire convenience aspect (Hamblin). European Environmental Bureau’s Piotr Barczak exclaims that recycling proposals are essentially last resorts with massive financial burdens and induce insignificant returns (BBC News). The complete appealing aspect of coffee capsules are unquestionably the convenience. If convenience is purposely disregarded, traditional coffee brewing or reusable capsules would be employed (K-Cup.com). Alas, among other sins, humans are cursed with an incurable lethargy nature, thus an optimal solution unescapably cannot demand any degree of additional commitment from consumers and companies. Therefore, the sole solution that accommodates these circumstances while remaining pragmatic is to manufacture capsules with exclusively compostable components, not recyclable nor biodegradable. Recyclable materials suggest undesired responsibility as previously explained and biodegradable resources inadequately biodegrade in high-pressure landfills (EarthTalk). Composed of entirely compostable elements enables consumers to conveniently and appropriately dispose capsules in previously securely established compost systems. Various companies have thoroughly contrived compostable capsules, yet they either dispense insufficient coffee variety such as Caffè Vergnano (CaffeVergnano.com) or plainly are deprived of market share alike Club Coffee (Club-Coffee.com). To grant social enterprises the capacity to equivalently contend against the dominant corporations, the supreme response for all levels of government is to temporarily administer tax-breaks and forge collaborations with business that actively advertise and retail compostable coffee capsules. Government assistance will balance the current oligopoly