Our Pods are Fully Compostable

What do we mean by compostable?

We mean everything (shell, lid, coffee) will return to where it belongs: the 🌍! How do you do that? Well, by composting it along with your banana peels and allowing Nature to do her thing — and not sending it to landfill! Choose from one of our solutions below to learn how you can join our mission, and dispose of your pods responsibly. Shifting, coffee, habits + culture — 4WKS at a time!

RETURN YOUR PODS COMPOST AT HOME

1. Edible Ink
2. Veg paper
3. Coffee!
4. Bio-shell

Our 4WKS Pod is made from 100% compostable materials, meaning the whole thing (pouch, pods, coffee) can be composted together!

Our Compostable Pod Pouch

All 4WKS Pods sold as refill packs are packed in our 100% compostable Pod Pouch. Designed to keep your coffee fresh and waste out of landfill, it has a dual purpose of 1) refilling your jar and 2) being a vehicle for disposing of your pods responsibly: composting and returning them to the Earth, instead of landfill.

  • GET FRESH PODS

  • REFILL 4WKS JAR

  • fill with used pods

  • COMPOST (BOOYAH!)

Returning to Earth

Returning your used 4WKS Pods to our 4WKS Composting Network in the Western Cape

Our 4WKS Pod is certified industrial compostable by DIN CERTCO and will break down into nutritious soil within 3 months. Partnering with yWaste in the Western Cape, we have launched a composting initiative whereby you can return your used 4WKS Pods to 7 different collection points around the city, and we’ll send them to yWaste's commercial composting farm in Philippi.

We realise that not everyone has access to this network, and that the only commercial composting sites are available in the Western Cape. (Rest assured, we have done rigorous tests on how long our pods will take to break down in a home composting environment, and they definitely will. You just need to give Nature a little bit more time to do its thing!)

Wherever you are, we encourage you to shift with us, and take responsibility for where our used pods end up. The Western Cape government aims to reduce 100% of food waste going into landfills by 2027, and together, we believe we can get there! Every pod counts!

Top tips on composting 4WKS Pods at home

Even though not certified home-compostable, our research and testing has proven that our pods will break down into life-giving soil at home. The only difference is that it will take a little longer than in a commercial composting facility.

Below, you'll find some of our top tips to ensure your pods (pouch and all) will be food for the worms in no time!

🌱 Our pods will break down faster in a hot composting environment. 
🌱 The compost heap should be a minimum size of half a cubic meter.
🌱 Throw your used pods in the middle of the heap (this is where the highest temperatures will be!).
🌱 Water your heap well!
🌱 Turn it as often as you can, introducing fresh oxygen!
🌱 Try your best to achieve temperatures of around 65 degrees.
🌱 You’ll notice the coffee and veggie lid will compost quicker than the shell!
🌱 Some patience is required for Nature to do her thing, but rest assured that in roughly 3 months, it will return to nutritious compost
🌱 Enjoy the feeling of scattering fresh soil as food for your plants!