What to know
- Circular Materials has partnered with Keurig Dr Pepper Canada to make empty K-Cup pods recyclable in Ontario’s blue bin.
- The pods are made from polypropylene #5 and meet provincial recycling standards, with nearly 75 per cent of Canadians now able to recycle them.
- The move is part of Ontario’s shift to full Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), meaning producers fully fund collection and recycling.
Ontario residents will now be able to toss their coffee and tea pods in the recycling bin, after a private company announced a partnership with KDP Canada.
On Tuesday, not-for-profit company Circular Materials announced a partnership with Keurig Canada Inc., which is now operating as Keurig Dr Pepper Canada (KDP Canada), and it will allow Ontarians to discard a new item in the blue bin.
According to the company, residents will now be able to recycle all empty K-Cup pods produced by KDP Canada, including owned, licensed and partner brands.
Circular Materials says these pods are made from recyclable polypropylene #5 and meet the province’s recycling standards, as nearly 75 per cent of Canadians will now be able to recycle them.
The announcement marks an advancement in the province’s transition from a Blue Box Program to full Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), which requires producers to take care of collection and recycling.
In compliance with the program, addition of K-Cup pods to the list of recyclable items, is 100 per-cent funded by producers, as municipalities in the province are no longer required to pay for recycling services.
The addition comes after Circular Materials took over recycling from the City of Toronto earlier this year and expanded the list of accepted materials, including:
- Coffee cups;
- Deodorant containers;
- Toothpaste tubes;
- Ice cream tubs;
- Frozen juice cups;
- Black plastic containers.
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“The inclusion of empty K-Cup® pods, and other recyclable plastic single-serve coffee packaging, demonstrates what can be achieved when producers and stakeholders work together to improve recycling for Ontarians and support strong environmental goals,” Circular Materials CEO Allen Langdon said in a statement.
“By expanding the list of items that can be put in Ontario’s recycling system to include empty K-Cup® pods, we’re giving residents the clarity and convenience they’ve been asking for, while helping producers meet their sustainability commitments.”
How to prepare K-Cup pods for recycling
Circular Materials says it will also launch an education campaign meant to inform Ontario residents about the new addition, including how to property discard the product.
To prepare K-Cup pods for recycling, residents must:
- Peel off their lids
- Empty it;
- Put the empty package in the blue bin.
For more information, residents can refer to the Circular Materials website.
