Plastic-Free Coffee

by onepartsunshine, in category Eating Green, Shopping Guides

If you are anything like me, you need a little boost in the morning, especially after a sleepless night with a cranky toddler. And the last thing you want to do is worry about scary stuff in your coffee. Conventional coffee makers and Keurig machines have a great deal of plastic in them. When you expose plastic to boiling hot water, the plastic degrades and releases toxins such as BPA and phthalates. Even if you are using a glass carafe and a metal filter, other parts in the machine are plastic. The Keurig machine is a good example of the amount of plastic that your coffee is exposed to – the water is stored in a plastic reservoir, heated in a plastic tank, passes through plastic tubing and then brews through a plastic K-cup.

In order to brew a toxin-free cup of coffee, choose organic, fair-trade coffee grounds and brew them in a coffeemaker that is made entirely of glass and/or stainless steel. Below are four great options:

Cold brew coffeemakers are a great alternative to plastic-filled machines. Several cold brew makers on the market contain no plastic at all; they are constructed of glass carafes with stainless steel filters. I recently purchased the below mason jar cold brew coffeemaker for my husband, and he absolutely loves it. And if you prefer hot coffee, simply heat the coffee after it has brewed.


Pour-over coffeemakers like the Chemex glass coffee maker are another great plastic-free and beautiful alternative. They are typically constructed of glass and many come with reusable stainless steel filters.


Many people argue that the French press produces the best cup of coffee because the grounds steep instead of filter. You get the best cup of coffee if you choose a glass coffee maker like the SterlingPro with a stainless steel press and no plastic parts.


The stovetop espresso maker is a nostalgic option that has been around since the 1930s. Many of these espresso makers are constructed of aluminum. And since aluminum is a metal of some concern, I prefer a stainless steel version such as the VonChef 6-cup Stovetop Espresso Maker. After adding water and coffee grounds, you place the maker on the stovetop and the heat acts to draw water from the base via the filter where it is infused with the grounds.

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