In a move that can save tons of waste worldwide, Switzerland-based food retailer Migros announced Tuesday that it created fully compostable "coffee balls" that have a seaweed-based cover instead of plastic.

Migros describes its new eco-friendly "CoffeeB" system as "the world's first coffee capsule system without capsules." The coffee balls are currently available in Switzerland and France and will be available in Germany in 2023, as well as other markets.

"A capsule system without a capsule? Hello CoffeeB. CoffeeB stands for the best premium coffee and is as simple, aromatic and practical as a capsule - but without a capsule. The Coffee Ball is 100% compostable," Migros posted on Twitter.

Zurich-based Migros, which was founded in 1925, is Switzerland's largest supermarket chain.

Demand for instant coffee has raised environmental issues. The Story Of Stuff Project reported that "the amount of K-Cups trashed into landfills as of today could wrap around the planet more than 10 times."

Environmental non-profit group Sustainable America reported in 2018 that for about 2 tablespoons of ground coffee per K-Cup, "we're talking about 20 billion tablespoons, or over 67 million gallons of waste coffee grounds every year …That's a lot of waste and a lot of valuable compost."

Some other options for environmentally conscious instant coffee include using reusable filters instead of K-cups, along with using a regular coffee pot or French press.

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