Single-use coffee pods have surprising environmental benefits over other brewing methods

WASHINGTON POST • January 18, 2023

While convenient and popular, single-use coffee pods are viewed by many as an environmental nightmare. But despite the piles of discarded capsules this brewing method leaves behind, it might not be as terrible for the planet as you think. In some cases, brewing a cup of joe in an old-school filter coffee maker can generate roughly 1 1/2 times more emissions than using a pod machine, according to an analysis by researchers.