Vermont-based coffee machine maker Keurig Green Mountain says it's working to make K-Cups more recyclable.
The company pledged two years ago to convert to recyclable K-Cups by 2020.
Brian Wright, of Chittenden Solid Waste District's MRF (Materials Recovery Facility) tells Vermont Public Radio K-Cups aren't recyclable mostly because they're made of mixed plastic and other materials.
He says even if the K-Cups were made from recyclable plastic, they can't be sorted out by MRF machinery because they're too small.
Wright says they end up mixed in as contaminants in recyclables, which can reduce the price the district gets for the recyclables it sells.
Monique Oxender, Keurig's chief sustainability officer, says the company is working to determine if changing to a widely recyclable material will affect the quality of coffee in the K-Cup.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
