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Paper filters can be composted and there are filters available made from recycled paper and or unbleached, which seems to me to be the least impact.

Have you considered the water and various resources that are incorporated into the construction, packaging, and transport of the paper filters? I believe one reusable filter, over time, is the much more sustainable option.

We use "IF YOU CARE" 100% unbleached filters, I use my filters 2 days in a row (just add more coffee on top) and then compost it all. I am not kidding myself that drinking coffee (albeit Fair Trade, Organic) and using a filter is eco-friendly. However, it is one luxury I've yet been able to give up (although some days I do drink black tea instead). And, it is more eco-friendly than the alternative regular coffee and bleached filter.

Get a french press. They make better tasting coffee and the built in filter is easy to clean.

I use a reusable gold filter and it is super simple to knock out the grounds and wash out the filter. It also allows the oils from the coffee to get thru and makes better coffee.

I do think that all the energy, water, and resources that go into making, packing, distributing, and selling the recycled paper filters is much more energy/resource intensive.

I guess the same question can be asked about paper vs. cloth napkins. I vote for cloth napkins.

I read a study a while back about scientists in the US finding that coffee does not increase the risk of cancer, while studies in Europe found that it did. The only difference was the way the coffee was brewed (with or without a paper filter), so I'll stick with my unbleached paper filters and toss them in the compost.

If you're really that concerned about water conservation, give up coffee. It's a luxury anyway. According to waterfootprint.org it takes 37 gallons of water to make one cup of coffee. If you REALLY care, give up red meat. The filter debate seems trivial when you look at the amount of water used to manufacture things we don't really need.

true story:

we used to use paper filters until one day, i woke up all bleary eyed and fuzzy, went into the kitchen to make coffee, pulled the old filter from the coffee maker, and it ripped sending coffee grounds into EVERY POSSIBLE CORNER OF THE KITCHEN. let me emphasize that i had JUST woken up. that was not fun at all.

switched to a gold reusable filter the next day. never had that problem since.

what if you rinsed your coffee filter over a large bowl or sink-sized bucket? both the "gray" water and the coffee grounds would be good for plants, and reusing water that would have gone down the drain is always a good idea. Or use the water in your next pot of coffee. All of the grounds would get a second squeeze and be caught in the filter. (that one's not for coffee snobs!)

I use a stainless steel stove-top espresso maker (sometimes known as a 'moka'). No consumables required, except ground coffee, and many people including myself think it tastes better than filter coffee. French presses are good too, as has been pointed out by another poster (but I prefer the moka). You can pick up either option for around $20 in my neck of the woods, depending on size.

Instead of rinsing out your filter over and over when it has wet messy grounds in it, set it aside (stand it in a bowl or place small plate over it and flip it over) and let it dry out. The grounds will fall out of the filter once they are dry.

Tip the grounds into the compost and give the dried out filter a good shake over the compost and it's mostly clean without any time or water wasted. Brush the dried-out filter with a dry toothbrush or scrub brush and it's clean. If you clean out your coffeemaker with a vinegar and water solution occasionally, leave your filter in and it all gets deep-cleaned at once.

If you make coffee often enough to need your filter before it's dried out all the way, you could buy a second one and use them in rotation.

I also recommend the french press or moka pot, though. If you really want to avoid specialty equipment there's always Turkish coffee or cowboy coffee.

Yes, second the french press/stovetop espresso pot too.

But a reusable filter has to be the better option, even with the water, because each paper one you use has had a LOT of water used in their production, even if recycled/unbleached.

Especially if you use the water on your plants (which love coffee grounds, too).

You have given me some excellent input and I appreciate it a great deal. Thanks everyone!