“losing the sink as a consumer”

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1

Can anyone please explain the meaning of “losing the sink as a consumer” at the end of the paragraph below?

This would be the first time American coffee consumption dropped in several years, and naturally provoked a reaction in the press, with many attributing the decrease to the rapidly increasing popularity of single-serve, or “pod”, coffee machines. The theory is that single-serve machines reduce the amount of waste involved in making coffee, thereby “losing the sink as a consumer.”

2

The idea suggested here is that of the kitchen sink swallowing coffee. A large proportion of the coffee made, but ultimately not drunk up by the consumer, used to end up in the sink (or down the drain).

3

Thank you Susanne!!! It’s now all clear to me. Until I read your comment, I could not see a “sink” as a consumer. Now it all makes sense.
Thanks a lot!

4

You are welcome. (Your reply gave me a chance to insert ‘to’ into my original response … I so dislike my careless mistakes!)