The podless future of coffee pods

Pop in pod. Sip sweet nectar. Rinse and repeat.

If you're one of 47m households that enjoy easily brewing your cuppa joe with a Keurig, you've probably wondered, "Am I wrecking the planet with these plastic K-Cups?"

Well, Keurig aims to put your mind at ease with its latest innovation: Altarounds, plastic- and aluminum-free pods that are completely compostable, per Fast Company.

Of course, you'll also have to buy a new brewing system — Earth-friendly convenience comes at a cost.

Pod people

With single-cup brewers owned by 42% of US coffee drinkers, Keurig controlled roughly 80% of the US pod sales in 2024, within a global pod and capsule market valued at $20B in 2025 and projected to reach $28.5B in 2034.

But plastic waste produced by K-Cups and other pods is a concern:

• Keurig co-founder John Sylvan regrets inventing K-Cups because of the waste.   

• A 2021 paper found that pods create more emissions than other brewing methods.
• Keurig agreed to pay $1.5m over charges that it made inaccurate statements about K-Cups' recyclability.
• Keurig says its pods have been recyclable since 2020, but not in all communities.

Motivated by consumer demand for less waste and more beverage variety, Keurig aimed to disrupt lest they be disrupted.

Years of R&D led to the Alta system:

• Altarounds are small pucks made of ground, pressed coffee wrapped in an alginate coating, derived from seaweed.
• Puck heights vary for larger or stronger drinks.
• Alta brewers make drip coffee and espresso drinks and are backward-compatible with K-Cups.
• Six Keurig-branded varieties: two espressos, caramel-flavored, and light, medium, and dark roasts.
• Keurig intends to partner with other coffee brands.

Can't wait for the launch later this year or want another eco-friendly alternative? You have options:

• Brewbird, which raised $32m in Series A funding, uses compostable cups with whole beans.
• San Francisco Bay Coffee features roasts in compostable pods.
• Compostable envipods feature organic brews.
• CoffeeB (which licensed its alginate coating tech to Keurig) offers compostable coffee balls in the UK and Ireland.

So, while your plastic concerns may be put to rest, we can't say the same about the number of pods you're popping daily.