TORONTO, Canada – The City of Toronto is taking an important step forward through a decision to study compostable pods in its waste diversion programs, says Club Coffee CEO John Pigott.
Club Coffee is the producer of PurPod100 the world’s first certified 100% compostable pod for coffee, tea and other hot beverages.
Brands in Canada and the United States have launched products using the pod this year. The company will be actively engaged in the study process.
The City’s Public Works and Infrastructure Committee mandated City staff to assess single-serve or single-use products, including compostable pods, in its waste diversion programs.
The Committee also directed the inclusion of industry and the Ontario government in the study.
“The City of Toronto understands that consumers want an answer to the waste they associate with plastic single serve coffee pods – one that will work effectively in Toronto’s processes,” said Pigott.
“We look forward to this collaborative effort based on testing in Toronto’s unique organic waste treatment process which uses anaerobic digestion followed by aerobic composting of the leftover materials.”
Pigott was also pleased that councillors underlined their support for the economic impacts of this innovation and its value in creating jobs and exports in Toronto’s manufacturing sector.
Club Coffee’s presentations to the Committee enabled it to clarify information about PurPod100™ including:
- It breaks down entirely in as little as five weeks in well-managed aerobic composting systems;
- It breaks down at rates comparable to most food waste and faster than bones, fruit pits and other commonly accepted food wastes;
- It contains 90% coffee by weight, with diversion of this nitrogen-rich food from landfills and the recycling stream supporting achievement of waste diversion and greenhouse-gas targets;
- It has been approved for similar organics programs in Canada and the United States; and
- It is the first single serve pod to be certified 100% compostable under the independent Biodegradable Products Institute Compostable Logo program.
This is the text of the motion.
The Public Works and Infrastructure Committee:
1. Requested the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services to consult with industry experts and the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change and report back in the second quarter of 2017 on the implications and impacts of accepting single-serve or single-use products, including coffee pods, in the City’s Waste Diversion Programs, such report to include, among other things:
a. A review of the anticipated processing operations and requirements for consumer education to distinguish between compostable and non-compostable products;
b. A jurisdictional scan of comparable municipalities with regard to compostable single-serve or single- use products, such as coffee pods; and
c. Options to research, pilot and support new markets for divertible materials under the Unit for Research, Innovation and a Circular Economy, as part of the Long Term Waste Management Strategy.
Origin
(October 3, 2016) Letter from Councillor Jaye Robinson
Summary
The single-serve coffee industry is continuing to grow throughout North America – an estimated one in four households in the United States owns a single-serve coffee brewer while here in Canada, single-serve coffee pods make up nearly 50 percent of total coffee sales in grocery stores.
While valued for its convenience by many consumers, this industry comes with a heavy environmental cost. Single- serve coffee pods are generally produced entirely or partly from plastic, which goes into landfill.
Recently, however, a Toronto-based coffee company created the first certified 100% compostable single-serve coffee pod, now available in stores across Canada.
The City of Toronto has a world-class waste management system and, with the approval of the Long Term Waste Management Strategy this past summer, committed to working towards a zero waste future. For that reason, Toronto needs to take a leadership role in working with stakeholders, companies and researchers to incorporate the latest innovations and technological advancements into our system so that we can achieve our waste reduction and diversion goals.
To that effect, I’m requesting the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services report back on the impacts and implications of integrating compostable coffee pods into the city’s waste diversion programs.
I’ve consulted with staff in Solid Waste Management Services and they are supportive of this motion.
