Nespresso to start a trial recycling scheme for its used aluminium coffee capsules in UK

Nespresso, a part of Swiss multinational Nestlé is to start a trial scheme for their UK consumers to recycle their used aluminium coffee capsules for the first time. This is counter effort towards the backlash against their popular single-serve pods, which end up in landfill.

The six-month pilot project will let Nespresso Club members recycle their used capsules using the special purple recycling bag, through their council household recycling service. Residents from London borough of Kensington and Chelsea will only be able to put out the Nespresso capsules.

Nespresso has defended its aluminium coffee capsules due to its ability to keep the coffee fresh and its recycling potential. The trial scheme is part of a project to give customers more convenient in recycling. The collected used aluminium capsule bags will be sent to Nespresso’s recycling facility in Congleton and waste coffee grounds will be extracted and turned into compost.

“We launched our own dedicated recycling services seven years ago,” said Francisco Nogueira, managing director of Nespresso UK and Ireland. “Every week we are seeing an increase in the volume of capsules being sent in by customers through our system. But we know there is still much to be done and recycling through the municipal system is something our members have asked for.”

Nespresso launched the first single-serve coffee machine in 1986, initially using only its own-brand pods. 

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Though Nespresso has not commented on the proportion of its recycled coffee capsules, it emphasises on its recycling “capacity” – which it says is 100%. According to Market research company Mintel, the UK coffee pods market is estimated to be worth £182m in 2016, up from £158m in 2015, and forecast to reach £206m this year.

Trewin Restorick, chief executive of environmental charity Hubbub applauded the scheme: “Nespresso pods are mainly aluminium and can be recycled whereas many of their competitors’ pods are mixed plastic which currently can’t be recycled. But using aluminium only makes sense from a resource point of view if the discarded aluminium is recycled, otherwise it is a very carbon intensive way for consumers to get their coffee. Nespresso needs to scale up the recycling process quickly.”