Almost everyone loves coffee. You would always want to filter your coffee to remove coffee grounds and oils. But after this, what do you do with your coffee filter?
Well, one thing you might be considering is flushing your coffee filters. So, are you wondering if it’s okay or not?
Well, we have explained everything you need to know in this post. Follow-through.
Can You Flush Coffee Filters?
The answer is NO. Coffee filters are made with stronger papers than toilet papers and take time to decompose. So, if you do not want a clog, abstain from flushing your coffee filters down the toilet.
What Can You Do with Used Coffee Filters?
You are probably wondering what we have up our sleeves using a used coffee filter? Well, there is a lot of ways to get creative with that. Trust us; we have it all explained out below.
So, before you toss your used coffee filters in the bin, let us tell you what you can do with them.
1. Reuse them Many More Times
If you are using the paper coffee filters, you should not just dispose of them after a single-use. Yes, they are papers, but they are designed not to break down easily in water like your regular toilet paper.
So, next time you filter your coffee, you can remove the coffee grounds, rinse the filter and get ready to use it. However, this is until you discover its fibre is no longer holding together.
2. Store With It
With your used paper coffee filters, you can store some of your ornaments with it. It is particularly okay to hold your tiny bits of beads in them and wrap them together.
It’s a great idea. With it, you protect your precious ornaments from dust. Even more, you save them from the possibility of some of it going under the cushion or wardrobe.
3. Filter Your Used Oil
You should know that the purpose of a coffee filter is to separate tiny ground particles and allow only coffee to pass. If you already know this, then you should be making use of your old paper filter to filter your used oil so you can reuse it.
It works magic and saves you money. Try it today, and you will have yourself to thank.
4. Keep Odor Out Of Your Shoes
After you have used your paper filter, rinsed and dried it, you can use it to make your environment more conducive. With the used paper filter, you can stack baking soda in it, tie it well and put it in your shoes.
Guess what, you would get a more pleasant environment. Do you want to get rid of your shoe odor? Put your used paper coffee to use today.
5. Clean With It
Whether you want to clean your windows or any glass surfaces, and you do not want a scratch on it, use a coffee filter. Asides from being firm with cleaning, they do not tint your precious glass surfaces.
6. Support Fragile Items
Your used paper filter can help you prevent your glass plates and cups from breaking if you use it to support them. Just put your coffee filter in between your favourite fragile items, and there you have it. It stops them from scratching or cracking.
Also, if you are making your meals, you can use a paper filter to support your spoons. Just put it beside your pot and place your cooking spoon on it.
7. Make Quick Plates
Do you find yourself in a small gathering and you are having problems getting a sizeable bowl for snacks? Well, you should think of your paper coffee filters as a great use for that. They are easy for putting your small snacks and serving it round.
If you also have to serve oily foods like barbeques, you can use your paper filters. They help you keep the oil in place.
What Other Items You Should Not Flush Down The Toilet?
If you love the smell of your toilet and you do not want to spend money on repairs, then you should be careful what you flush down your toilet. Here are a few things you should never flush down your toilet.
1. Hair
Before you flush down your hair, here’s a little practice for you. Get a bowl of water and drop some strands of hair in it. What do you see? They don’t sink, they move and don’t look like something that can decompose in weeks.
This should guide you in choosing better next time you want to flush your hair in the toilet.
2. Coffee Grounds
There are better things to do with your coffee grounds than flush the little particles down the toilet.
They may gather and cause a blockage if you flush them down. Why not use them to make compost and feed your little garden? This way, it’s a win-win.
3. Condoms
Condoms come in latex, synthetic rubber or plastic materials. Flushing them down means a problem for your toilet. These materials do not decompose at all; they keep storing up until they are plenty enough to create a clog in your toilet.
So next time you go in with protection, please don’t throw condoms in the toilet seat and flush down.
4. Wipes
You’ll be shocked that wipes last longer in moist areas than toilet papers. So, if you flush them down, they may take more time to decompose. This will cause a blockage for you if you flush too many of them in a short period.
The best thing is to abstain from flushing down your used wipes, toss them in a basket, and you’re good to go.
5. Menstrual Materials and Diapers
Really, what do you have running in your mind to think you can flush down a whole pad or diaper? Well, you probably don’t want people to discover it. We understand you but slow down; they can cause a blockage. Here’s how.
Menstrual materials and diapers are made to absorb liquid and don’t decompose quickly, especially in a moist place. That’s why they can hold blood flow and urine without stress. If you flush them down, you are not doing yourself any good.
6. Cigarette Butts
Even if you are a secret smoker, there are better ways to dispose of your cigarette butts without being caught. The thing is, if you flush it down the toilet, it will cause a clog. Then, when the plumbing company comes to fix it, they will find out and tell everyone. So, avoid it
Besides, they can pollute the marine environment because of the chemicals that they are in them. So, whether you are a new smoker or not, please dispose of your cigarette butt properly.
7. Pet Fish
Yes, we know your favourite pet fish just gave up the ghost. We are sorry about that. Still, it’s not a good enough reason to flush them down the toilet. Besides, you might cease the free flow of your waste down the toilet.
You don’t want to do this at all. You might end up losing both ways; you lose your fish and your money to the plumbing company.
8. Food Waste
You might get tired of your food waste and want to flush the rubbish down the toilet, but relax, don’t try it. Here’s why.
We know your food wastes would eventually decay, but this does not happen overnight; it takes time. If you flush food wastes down, they may accumulate and streamline the passageway for other things or even entirely block your pipes before they decompose.
The better alternative is to use your food wastes to make compost for your garden.
Can You Recycle Coffee Filters?
Paper Coffee filters would appear to be recyclable, but here is the thing; they may be a little difficult to recycle too. The reason this is so is because of the oils trapped in the fibre of the used coffee filters. This makes recycling difficult.
If it is to be recycled efficiently and adequately, then thorough extraction of the oil has to be done. Asides this, used paper filters are recyclable.
However, for other coffee filters that are reusable and come in different materials like the iron, cloth and plastic filter, recycling may be possible if adequately disposed of.
Can You Compost Coffee Filters?
What happens to your paper coffee filter after you use it? It concerns you that if you throw them in the trash, they may escape recycling, so you are wondering if you can compost them. Well, the answer is yes.
YES. Coffee filters are compostable. You do not have to worry because a standard paper coffee filter is rich in carbon; that is why you hear people refer to it as brown material. And, you will always need sufficient carbon in your compost bin to supplement the nitrogen.
Composting a coffee filter also helps you keep the environment odorless. So, next time you use your paper coffee filter, get a compost bin and throw it in. You will be doing yourself and the environment a lot of favor.
Are Coffee Filters Biodegradable?
Suppose you are wondering if your coffee filters decay naturally. Or decompose due to activities of bacteria or other organisms, then your answer is maybe. Relax, let us explain.
Coffee filters can come in different types. The paper coffee filter is easily degradable because they are pulp from trees. They just need to be wet after use. Then, the worms would fall in love with them after some months. And there you have it, they decompose.
The other type of coffee filter is the reusable metal filter, cloth filer and plastic filter. These are not easily degradable. For plastic coffee filter, it may take hundreds of years to degrade.
To make more sense with your coffee filtering, we advise you to shun the plastic coffee filter entirely. If you need a reusable coffee filter, you can use the metal or cloth filter; these take time too, but will eventually decompose.
To save the environment, we advise you to go for the paper coffee filter; they are mess-free, and worms love them.
Are Coffee Filters Bad for the Environment?
Like we told you earlier, many coffee filters are paper for only a single-use. This means that they are naturally friendly to the environment, as you can compose and recycle them.
Even in the rare situation, where your paper coffee filter ends up in the landfill, the worms love them. They will feed on them, and they will decompose in a matter of months.
Sadly though, the paper coffee filter may pose BAD for the environment because of the chlorine used to bleach the white coffee filter. Nonetheless, this is only of minimal effect. But, to play safe, you should prefer the brown paper coffee filter; it does the same magic.
So, do not worry. Use your paper coffee the way you like, but make sure you dispose of them properly; whether you want to recycle or compost. The choice is yours.
However, if you are making use of another type of coffee filters like the plastic, metal or cloth filter, there may be a significant concern for the environment. Metal and cloth coffee filter is particularly degradable. The problem is that they take quite some time, and might cause pain for the ground before they decompose.
On the flip side, both cloth and iron coffee filters may be recyclable if disposed of properly. The problem with plastic coffee filter is that that takes a very long time to degrade and might be a cause of significant environmental issues.
In Conclusion
Now you have everything to help you maintain a block-free toilet. So, stick to it and keep your toilet safe.