Coffee Choices Can Keep Millions of Plastic Cups Out of Landfills

Millions of college students returning to campus this month will likely have a single-serve coffee brewer among furnishings for their dorm rooms and apartments. As a result, students will contribute to the estimated 10 billion plastic brew cups discarded annually into the country's landfills*.

Students who use single-serve brewers need to know that there is now a more environmentally responsible product for them 100 percent compostable coffee pods are available for purchase online, in grocery stores and supercenters across the country.

"We know that students are among the most eco-conscious consumers," said Sarah Cunningham, senior marketing manager of Hills Bros. Coffee. "This fall, we're hoping to raise awareness among college students of the significant problem plastic coffee cups pose to the environment and of their power to make an impact through the coffee they purchase."

Massimo Zanetti Beverage USA, maker of Hills Bros., Kauai Coffee and Chock full o'Nuts , uses PURPOD100 coffee pods, which are certified by the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) to break down in less than 84 days in municipal composting facilities and return as nutrients to the soil, according to Cunningham. The PURPOD100 single-serve coffee products are compatible with all K-Cup ** brewers.

As part of MZB's national rollout of certified 100 percent compostable coffee pods, the company has launched an awareness program to drive composting participation among student consumers. A special website www.coffeecomposting.com was created to educate consumers, advocate for curbside composting and connect people with their local composting options.

"Composting today is at levels similar to where recycling was in the 1990s. While large cities have set the trend, composting practices have really taken hold on college campuses," Cunningham said. "This forward thinking can expand from university dining halls to student housing, introducing students to a composting lifestyle they can continue after graduation."

For more information, to locate composting facilities in your area, to take action by writing to your local government, or to start a composting petition atChange.org, visit www.coffeecomposting.com. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter and use #brewandrenew.

* D'ambrosio, Dan. "K-CUPS drive Keurig's growth in 2014," Burlington Free Press, 19 November, 2014.
**K-Cup is a registered trademark of Keurig Green Mountain, Inc.
Massimo Zanetti Beverage single-serve pods are not affiliated with Keurig Green Mountain, Inc.
PURPOD100 is a trademark of Club Coffee Company, Inc., used under license.

About Massimo Zanetti Beverage USA:
Massimo Zanetti Beverage USA is among the nation's largest coffee roasters, with nationally recognized retail brands including Hills Bros., Chock full o'Nuts, Segafredo Zanetti, Kauai Coffee, MJB and Chase & Sanborn. In its state-of-the art manufacturing facility in Suffolk, Va., the company produces proprietary and private label coffee, tea and drink mix for customers in all retail and food service channels throughout North America and around the world. In addition, Massimo Zanetti Beverage USA franchises Chock full o'Nuts Coffee Shops and Segafredo Zanetti Espresso Cafs. Massimo Zanetti Beverage USA is part of the Massimo Zanetti Beverage Group, comprised of nearly 50 companies operating in over 100 countries. For more information, visit: www.mzb-usa.com.

SOURCE Massimo Zanetti Beverage USA

To post a comment, you must register and login.