The Recyclist: It's not that much of a grind

Over the last two weeks, I've repeatedly found myself standing in front of the garbage with something -- the Styrofoam tray that held a flotilla of chicken breasts, the diet Pepsi cup from my husband's drive-thru lunch, a crumple of tin foil used to reheat a polenta-and-sausage appetizer -- and wondering: Can this be recycled? Or is it trash? And how can I "precycle" -- a nifty little concept I just learned about -- for next time?

And then I just want to ignore it all and go watch "Damages." (I'm not proud of it, but it's the truth.)

Instead, I rinse all these objects off, put them in the recycling bin, make a mental note to call the city to determine their recyclable-ness, and offer up a silent apology to the city employee stuck sorting through my recycling.

Here's one thing I know I can do. Swap out paper coffee filters for a reusable coffee filter:

The pros: No more coffee filters going into the garbage. And if you shop carefully -- see below -- you will ultimately save money on paper filters.

The cons: If you drink coffee at the pace I do, you need two or three so that you always have a clean one at the ready. And the reusable filters are made of plastic, although the ones I purchased reportedly are fully recyclable, and one of them claims to offer a lifetime replacement guarantee. (For kicks, I am keeping the receipt.) 

The caveats: Decide whether you prefer a cone-shaped filter, or a basket one, and then stick to it when you buy your next coffeemaker, so you won't need to spring for new perma-filters all over again. And shop around. The prices on these baskets can vary wildly, something I found out the hard way: Amazon.com sold three basket filters for the same price I paid for one. Another option would be a washable and fully recyclable hemp coffee filter.

I'm sure that it would be much, much greener to go the route of the glass or steel French coffee press, with no filters, no plastic, no coffeemaker to eventually dispose of. But I've tried them. And maybe I'm doing it wrong, but I just don't like the mess, or the stray coffee grounds clinging to my cup. (Hey, a woman has to know her limitations.)

Is there another route to greener coffee consumption that I should know about? I want to hear it.

-- Rene Lynch

Photo: I'm replacing paper filters with reusable filters at home, and will donate my extras to the coffee station at work. Credit: Rene Lynch / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[David L.]

The problem with those reusuable filters is that they don't let the water sit in the grounds as long so, in the end, you end up using more grounds to get the same strength coffee--at least from my experience. Seems to be a wash in my book in terms of consumption. One idea is to dump the grounds out of the paper filter, rinse and reuse. Works for me although it's not the most ideal.

[Brent]

My re-usable filter is made out of (I think) brass or some other golden colored non-tarnishing metal - the less plastic, the better me thinks, especially when we are heating it up. The grounds can be saved for mulch or your house plants, or just dump em outside in the bushes rather than the trash. Either way, the plants will like them and nothing goes in the garbage other than the package the beans/grounds came in.

[Linda]

Another green point for coffee drinkers who are also gardeners: don't throw your used coffee grounds away...they are great fertilizer for acid-loving plants, and a non-toxic way to discourage snails and slugs.

[john]

I wonder about the water used to wash out the reusable. Is that an acceptable trade off for not using the paper filters?

[Sal]

i use the non bleeched filters. Every night i toss the filter and grounds in my composter...

[mtlyorel]

The environmental impact of coffee filtre paper and coffee ground is miniscule in the big picture. If you really want to reduce environmental impact, turn off the power bar when not using appliances and adjust downwards the luminosity of the TV and PCs. Only charge your gadgets when absolutely necessary. Also, turn off excess lighting in the house and pledge to always carry your own shopping bags when shopping, and tupperware when eating out.

[save the deserts!]

i suspect you could do the planet the MOST good by brewing only organic, shade-grown, fair trade coffee instead of the poisonous garbage most people drink. as for the inevitable flip-side of coffee drinking, you really, really need to use recycled toilet tissue - far more critical than what coffee filter you choose...

[Allison]

I use non-bleached recycled paper filters and then toss them with the grounds in the compost bucket.
I tried reusable filters but I didn't like how my coffee turned out muddy.

Since my filters are made from a renewable resource and they're recycled I don't feel too guilty about it, but it would be nice if they came in a box instead of wrapped in plastic.

[Van]

I recycle my coffee grounds and paper filters in the Green bin with the other garden waste. 100 brown unbleached cone coffee filters at Trader Joe's are only $1.69, much cheaper than the national brand.