Keurig Dr Pepper pays million dollar civil penalty after SEC allegations about K-Cup recyclability

Are you a K-Cup user passionate about the environment? If so, you might want to think twice before tossing your used pods in the recycling bin.

As per Amelia Lucas with CNBC, "The Securities and Exchange Commission has charged Keurig Dr Pepper over what the agency said are inaccurate claims by the company about the recyclability of its disposable K-Cup pods, the agency said Tuesday." In response, the company has "agreed to pay a $1.5 million civil penalty without admitting or denying the agency’s findings."

This is far from the first time that the viability of recycling K-Cups has been in the news. In prior annual reports from 2019 and 2020, testing found that K-Cups could technically be effectively recycled. However, the SEC then noted two United States-based recyclers reported that they "didn't intend to accept the disposable coffee pods for recycling and had expressed 'significant concerns' about the financial viability of recycling K-Cups collected curbside"

A Keurig Dr Pepper spokesperson said in a statement that the company will "continue to encourage consumers to check with their local recycling program to verify acceptance of pods, as they are not recycled in many communities. We remain committed to a better, more standardized recycling system for all packaging materials through KDP actions, collaboration and smart policy solutions.”