The Inventor Of The Keurig Says He Feels Guilty For Creating It

[Renew Deal]

The inventor of the Keurig now says he feels guilty for creating the coffee-making device because it creates a ton of waste.

In an interview with The Atlantic published Monday, John Sylvan said that he feels he created a monster.

“I feel bad sometimes that I ever did it,” Sylvan said.

Sylvan created the Keurig in 1992 with his college roommate Peter Dragone. He said he believed they would only be used in offices.
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“No matter what they say about recycling, those things will never be recyclable,” he said.

According to The Atlantic, the number of pods that were buried in 2014 could circle the Earth an estimated 12 times.
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Keurig says it has committed to making its pods 100% recyclable by 2020. Every year, it plans to transition more and more of its pods to a version that uses recyclable plastic.
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http://www.buzzfeed.com/stephaniemcneal/the-inventor-of-the-keurig-says-he-feels-guilty-for-creating

[F4lconF16]

1. Kudos to him.

Not often we hear that.

[TheNutcracker]

2. Yes, I read he doesn't use it and he thinks the little cups cost too much!

[MANative]

3. I do use a Keurig, but one of the older models for which I use my own K-cup reusable filters.

Now, those are a great invention that you can pick up for less than $2 each and they last for at least a year. I've had some of mine for almost three years. No waste of either plastic or coffee. A tablespoon or so of grounds and the little washable mesh basket, and I'm a happy girl in the morning. Haven't bought the pods in many years. They're really expensive as well as being unfriendly to the environment. They cost about 70 cents/cup versus about 6 cents with the reusable pod.

[Renew Deal]

6. People used to spend like $5 for a pound of coffee

Now they spend around $12 for 10 plastic cups.

[MANative]

7. So true! Some of them are even more than that.

The Gevalia and Starbucks brands are often $16 for 12 pods in my area. There's one assortment pack that I've seen with 54 pods for $40, for Maxwell House and similar down-market brands. I'll sometimes splurge on a $10+ pound of ground coffee (Starbucks Gold Coast blend is my favorite), but even that is still only about 20 cents/cup.

[NaturalHigh]

11. I still spend the same amount for coffee.

I just use a little refillable cartridge with my Keurig.

[woodsprite]

4. At least he realizes the problem and is trying to fix it.

Most inventors wouldn't give it a second thought, just continue to rake in the dough.

[RedCappedBandit]

5. My parents have one, I use the refillable containers

But for myself I bought a little french press. Didn't think I'd appreciate the difference fresh ground coffee made in a french press would have but I certainly do.

[Major Nikon]

8. The Keurig is really not worth buying if you don't intend to use K-cups

Going to the trouble of using the reusable cup is more trouble than other single cup solutions which produce better results with less hassle.

[jeff47]

9. Single-cup is fine for planned usage

Like brewing yourself a cup every morning. It's harder to use if your usage is variable, such as sometimes making one cup, and other times having to make a bunch.

A Keurig with reusable cups can handle the one-cup well enough, and you can buy a pack of disposable if you're having a party.

(You could also keep around a drip maker for the party if it happens often enough.)

[Major Nikon]

10. There's nothing wrong with using it that way

It's just I think there's a number of better ways to skin that cat. The real value to the Keurig is the convenience of the disposable cups and the ability of nearly infinite variety.