Ideal Bite

Not a great tip. Reusable filters take lots of water to clean, can clog pipes and disposals over time with grounds (like the experience I had.) The disposable are biodegradable. I just throw them in the compost with the coffee grounds.

I compost my paper filters too, and I buy them unbleached.

we have been using reusable filers for a long time. never had any problems with drains clogging since we dump the grounds into the compost (one good whack on the side of the can and almost all the grounds come out, leaving very little rinsing). But we have just recently switch to a french press coffee pot with NO filter of any kind required, although there is a bit more rinsing required. the coffes tastes so much better too!

I have a coffee maker that came with a reusable gold filter. Unfortunately my apartment in the city does not have a compost area (though I'm working on it), nor do I have a disposal. As a result, the rinsing of the leftover grounds has caused my drains to drain slower. I've tried sending boiling water down there, with limited success. Bleach (not green-friendly, I know) works slightly better at clearing the clogs.. but other suggestions would be welcome.

Filter-less coffee makers may create less waste, but the coffee they produce can also raise cholesterol, so they are not an option for people with high cholesterol already. I got an organic cotton reusable filter handmade by this awesome Etsy seller: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=11494128 I just scrape the grounds into the compost container and rinse the rest with a little bit of cold water. It's not big deal and does not clog my pipes. Beth

I've had a problem with fine grounds filtering through reusable filters... I really don't like the swirl of grounds at the bottom of my cup! My (unbleached) paper filters all go with the grounds into the compost...

OR you could get a french press coffee maker and skip the filter altogether. It saves on electricity and you can just stick it in the cupboard when you're done with it. no giant noisy coffee maker taking up space on the counter.

I have a well rather than city water. The water is yummy but full of minerals and hardness. I have to use a perk coffee pot as the drip kind clogg up within a few days...so hence no filter worries. In the past, I used a hemp cloth filter...worked fine (until the machine gunked up with hard water which no amount of vinegar could fix).

I've used disposable filters since I was about 16, (yep,loved coffee even then)I'm 31, and last Christmas my husband and I were shopping for Christmas stuff, and we were looking at coffee makers and all that because ours is old, regular no bells or whistles. Anyway to make a long story longer, we saw the reusable coffee filters, we needed to buy filters anyway. My hubby said he's used the reusables before and they're great. I was a little skeptical, I was thinking messy, ugh, cause I usually make the coffee, but we bought one anyway. I WILL NEVER GO BACK, NEVER I SAY, to disposable filters. I take the reusable, dump all the grounds in the garbage, making sure I got most of them, then I wash it in the sink. we have a disposal and I just make sure I run that after dumping what little there is left. I will never go back to yucky paper filters, if you don't dry the holder well enough the filters get wet and decide to move around, etc. Anyway. I've said enough, but GO Reusable COFFEE FILTERS, best thing that's ever happened to me, ( well except the birth of my son) but you get the idea.

First I want to say the we use a reusable filter in our coffee maker. Then dump the grounds in the compost. But there is some rinsing to be done afterwards. I use a cup of baking soda and white vinegar down the drain followed by a pot of boiling water to clear clogs. It has been very successful for the tub drain as well. Secondly we have been purchasing our coffee from a local roaster who switched the packaging to a 100% biodegradable & compost-able one. Versus the aluminum/plastic? stuff we are use to . It doesn't keep coffee fresh for long. So you have to put in a air tight container. But at least you know that the packaging you throw away isn't going to sit in a land fill for the next century. Plus there coffee is you plain delicious. www.centralcoffeeroasters.com