Eco-Friendly Coffee & Zero Waste Coffee Preparation

11 min readApr 7, 2021

Drinking coffee is one of the greatest pleasures in life. It is cozy, energizing, and a routine for many people globally. However, drinking coffee can negatively affect the environment. Coffee making supplies are often single-use, people regularly transport their coffee in disposable cups/lids/sleeves, and coffee grounds are more likely to end up in landfills than get composted. Additionally, coffee beans can only be grown in specific regions, so coffee is routinely transported many miles.

Specific ways that your coffee habit can harm the environment:

Deforestation of natural habitat for coffee farms
Displacement of species for coffee farms
Unfair wages for and labor concerns of coffee growers
Pesticide pollution associated with coffee farms (air, water, and soil pollution)
Coffee grower exposure to pesticides
Mining associated with coffee making supplies (metal filters, coffee machine parts, etc.)
Unfair wages for and labor concerns of coffee supply manufacturers
Clear cutting and tree mining for paper products associated with coffee making (paper filters, paper cups, etc.)
Pollution from plastic creation for coffee vessels and coffee making supplies (to-go lids, lining of to-go cups, disposable coffee pods, coffee packaging, etc.)
Landfill use from coffee vessels, coffee grounds, and products associated with coffee making
Methane and greenhouse gas release from putting compostable coffee items in landfills
Fossil fuel use from transporting coffee and coffee items
Fossil fuels associated with electricity and gas use, from making coffee

How can you decrease your environmental impact when drinking coffee?

Consider reducing or eliminating coffee from your life. In doing so, you can save some money and decrease your environmental impact!
Only use reusable coffee vessels. If you’re at home, you can use cups and mugs you already own to drink coffee from. If you like drinking coffee out and about, invest in a reusable to-go mug. In the last 10 years, the quality of reusable to-go mugs has increased quite a bit. Many people prefer them, as they can keep coffee warm for 4–12+ hours and just generally feel more sturdy than disposable. Switching to a reusable to-go mug, and bringing it with you, can make a huge impact on your coffee-associated waste.
Switch to organic, fair trade coffee. If possible, find coffee beans that are closer to you geographically (for example, South American coffee beans may be closer than African coffee beans, or vice versa). Switching to organic, fair trade coffee will protect the soil, air, and water of coffee farmed areas, while protecting coffee growers from pesticide exposure and ensuring adequate wages. In switching to more local coffee beans, you will decrease the number of miles (and thus fossil fuels) associated with importing your coffee.
Switch to non-disposable versions of coffee-making supplies. For example, buy and use a reusable filter and/or a reusable coffee pod. Alternatively, you can switch to a coffee maker that naturally includes reusable components, such as a Moka pot or a French Press.
Compost your coffee grounds. Whether at home, through your city or county, or at a community space, composting coffee is great for the environment and awesome for soil. So awesome, that you can call farms or garden spaces to see if they will take your coffee grounds. I can assure you, someone will take them because they are incredibly valuable for soil!
Switch to a dairy alternative milk or creamer. If you’re someone who enjoys creamer or milk in your coffee, consider finding a dairy alternative product that you enjoy. Cows are huge contributors of greenhouse gases, through the methane they release; cow waste can be incredibly polluting and harmful to local environments. Additionally, dairy milk is not designed for human consumption. As someone who got used to soy milk through coffee, I think switching to alternative creamers and milk in coffee can be a great introduction to dairy alternative products!

Is there a reusable to-go mug you recommend?

I won’t recommend a specific brand, but here are some tips.

Select a cup size that makes sense. For example, if you want to put the mug in a cupholder, make sure you get a cup that will fit (typically tall/narrow mugs fit, but it’s always good to measure and check before purchasing). Additionally, if you get a 16oz or 20oz drink when you go to a coffee shop, consider getting a larger sized mug. Many to-go brands offer 12oz mugs (or smaller), which may not be practical if you often purchase larger drinks.
Select a lid that suits your needs. Consider if you want a lid that closes or a leak proof lid. If you drink iced drinks, consider a lid compatible with a reusable straw. For example, Klean Kanteen has multiple lid options per cup. This means you can purchase 1 cup, but have 2+ lids. You can reduce consumption by buying something that is innately versatile!
Get something dishwasher safe. Even if you don’t have a dishwasher right now, you could have one in the future. Dishwashers are more convenient, and use less water, than hand washing.
Find something that keeps your drinks hot/cold. Many of to-go mug brands market specific hours that a drink should maintain temperature. If this is important to you, consider one of the mugs that boast 8+ hours. If this is less important to you, 4+ hours should be just fine.
Generally a stainless steel mug is more versatile than a plastic tumbler. Stainless steel insulated mugs work both hot and cold drinks; plastic tumblers are typically designed for cold drinks. By choosing stainless steel, you’ll have more versatility with your mug. Additionally, you’ll avoid the pollution and fossil fuel use associated with plastic, by choosing stainless steel.
Avoid plastic, where you can. There are very, very few to-go mugs without plastic lids, so don’t be discouraged if your only options include a plastic lid. That said, you can definitely avoid plastic for all of the other to-go mug components.
Get a design you like and will like for a long time. If you have loved yellow for 15 years, that’s a good bet. I find catchy sayings and specific animals to be more “trendy”, so these are usually good to avoid. You may be tempted to personalize your mug, but keep in mind that your initials or your company logo may not be so appealing to someone else, if you decide to give away or donate your mug someday.

Is there an organic, fair trade coffee brand you recommend?

I have no brand loyalty, so I won’t recommend any specific brands here. We typically purchase whole beans, on rotation, from our local co-op. We solely purchase organic and fair trade coffee. Typically our espresso beans are medium-dark (although I would love to try a light espresso bean). Our non-espresso beans range from light-dark. We never buy method specific beans (e.g. French roast blends or Turkish coffee).

There is one organic, fair trade roaster near me, PeaceCoffee. I really enjoy their coffee and I often purchase it. But, like I said above, I don’t exclusively purchase just one brand of coffee.

How can you reduce plastic when purchasing coffee?

Buy coffee from bulk bins; bring a clean, reusable container with you. Many grocery stores, including grocery stores that do not have other bulk bins, have coffee available in bulk. That said, many assume you will use their paper bags (lined with plastic) to purchase the coffee, so you may have to coach your cashier through removing the weight of your container. If this happens, be patient and willing to provide the container weight (or calculate the coffee weight yourself). Another option is to use a lightweight cloth bag for coffee purchases at grocery stores, so if there are any issues or mistakes removing the weight of your cloth bag, the additional weight/cost will be quite minimal.

Many grocery stores also have a grinder available for use near the bulk beans. In my experience, these grinders are AWESOME. For example, you may not have a grinder at home or you may not be able to grind espresso/Turkish level fineness with your own grinder; use these grocery store communal grinders.

2. Buy coffee from a local coffee shop; bring a clean, reusable container with you. Not all coffee shops will sell you beans, but you’d probably be surprised how many do. This can be an extra great option if the coffee shop roasts beans themselves; you will be getting the freshest beans and supporting a local coffee shop!

Coffee shops may be able to grind coffee you purchase from them as well. As they’re in the coffee business, they typically have high quality grinders. Like above, this could be a great way to grind the coffee you can’t do at home or to access a community grinder, instead of purchasing your own.

3. There is just one coffee brand I’ve found with 100% compostable packaging, DriftAway Coffee. DriftAway is a coffee subscription service and honestly, not cheap. This may a great option for you if you have no/low access to package free coffee or if you love tasting new blends.

What dairy alternative products do you recommend?

Creamers:

Califia Farms Creamers, and especially the Hazelnut flavor, are my absolute favorite. The texture is awesome and I haven’t found any creamers that taste or feel better than these.
Although not technically a creamer, I think Oatly Full Fat milk could do the trick.

Milks:

For espresso drinks

Oatly is my #1 espresso drink milk of choice. I find that the texture and taste are closest to dairy milk. I am not a huge fan of the low-fat version, but the regular and full fat are lovely.
Pearl Soymilk (Original) is another great espresso drink milk, but it does have a thinner texture overall. Where I live, Pearl is difficult to source, but that may not be a problem for you.
Pacific Oat and Pacific Soy are the choice of many coffeeshops and for good reason; they froth well for espresso drinks. For my own espresso, I don’t think these milks pair perfectly. That said, I have been to many coffeeshops that use Pacific brand dairy alternatives and had 4 or 5 star lattes!

For non-espresso drinks

EdenSoy Extra is my #1 non-espresso coffee milk of choice. It’s light, lower in sugar, and complimentary to coffee. It gets bonus points for staying intact in coffee (this is a real, rampant problem with soy milk) and having more a rich flavor than other soy milks.
Oatly’s flavor is really nice in non-espresso coffees, but it is a bit thicker than I prefer. That said, if I’m having a super dark roast, Oatly cuts the bitterness more than EdenSoy does!

What coffee gear do you use, Emily?

In 2010, I started my first barista job and had free/reduced access to cold press and espresso. After leaving that job in 2011, I got my first coffee maker, a Chemex, after doing exhaustive research. My Chemex was used daily for 4 years, in conjunction with a secondhand electric coffee grinder. In 2014, I got my second barista job and had access to free espresso. From 2014–2015, I lived in Turkey, where I fell in love with Turkish coffee and learned about Moka pots from my European roommates. While I was living in Turkey, I purchased a handmade Turkish coffee pot. In 2016, I purchased my Moka Pot. I used my Moka pot every day before work or school, for 4 years. My partner couldn’t get into the swing of the Chemex when we started dating in 2016, so we purchased a French Press in 2017 for shared coffee drinking. In 2017, I also purchased a hand grinder, as my electric grinder just couldn’t grind fine enough. In 2018, I bought my Yeti specifically for work trips. That said, it quickly became an everyday item, regardless if I was traveling. It is still my favorite to-go cup and my partner frequently steals it, even though I gifted him one. In 2019, we purchased an electric kettle with temperature settings for tea, as 2019 was when I really started getting into tea. Finally, I received my dream espresso machine in 2020, as a wedding gift.

We use the espresso machine on weekdays, twice a day (once a day for me, once a day for my partner). On weekends, I use my Chemex to brew 1–2 pots of black coffee. When guests are over, I find the Chemex or the French Press are easiest to use. I often travel with my hand grinder, Moka pot, and whole beans, but it depends on the trip. For example, when I travel to the West coast, I simply bring my Yeti and bask in the delicious lattes on every corner. More remote or low-tech trips are great for my Moka pot, but sometimes I simply bring it along to save some money.

Here is the full list of my coffee supplies:

A Chemex, purchased in 2011, with a stainless steel filter (the filter can be put in the dishwasher)
A Turkish coffee pot, purchased in 2015
A Moka Pot, purchased in 2016
A stainless steel hand grinder, purchased in 2017
A French Press, purchased in 2017
A Yeti to-go mug, purchased in 2018
An electric kettle, with temperature settings, purchased in 2019
My dream lever-style espresso machine, gifted to me in 2020

Is above your forever coffee gear?

Maybe. There are a couple items that are heavily debated. I have been thinking about getting a cold press for at least 5 years. I love cold press, especially in the summer. I also can get behind how convenient it is to make coffee less frequently, so that is appealing. We’ll see if I purchase one…

Another item we will likely purchase is an electric grinder. I previously felt it manageable to hand grind coffee once per day. That said, now that we have an espresso machine, precision is more important and an electric grinder would save us a substantial amount of time. Our espresso routine takes about 20–30 minutes, start to finish. The espresso machine itself takes 15–20 minutes to pressurize. The hand grinding can take quite a bit of time, since the grounds needed are so fine (10–15 minutes per drink). When we serve espresso to guests, we often hand grind espresso beans for 45–60 minutes prior to their arrival!

And, for a moment of honesty, I get excited by many of the new, shiny coffee methods marketed every year. Although I haven’t purchased any of the temptations, I do struggle to resist. For example, the aeropress sounds great. But I’ve also been intrigued by travel coffee systems generally as my partner and I like to travel frequently. So it is possible I will cave and purchase a new coffee gadget one of these days. But I have resisted some for many years, so I hope to hold out.

None of the links in this post are affiliate links; I have received no incentive to include brands or companies in this post.