Nestle's Nespresso recycles aluminium from used coffee capsules for use in secondary market

Swiss food giant Nestle's Nespresso has come up with an innovative and somewhat unexpected solution to the environmental issue created by the growing waste volume of coffee capsules that are used at the workplaces and homes. They have taken to organic vegetable farming and aluminium recycling which happen to be the two main components of the two-pronged strategy.

In Singapore, Nespresso has collected and recycled its used aluminium capsules since 2012, which are then sun-dried to separate the used coffee grounds from the aluminium. For the past two years, it has also partnered with local organic produce distributor Quan Fa Organic Farm to use coffee grounds as compost for farming.

Mr Matthieu Pougin, country manager of Nespresso Singapore, highlighted that Singapore is the first country in Asia to completely close the recycling loop as both the components of the coffee pod are recycled. The aluminium is re-melted and reused in manufacturing new products such as window frames, while the coffee grounds are sent to the farm to be used in the compost.

At Quan Fa, located along Murai Farmway off Lim Chu Kang, the compost is used all over the two-hectare farm, on which fruits and vegetables are grown. When the vegetables are ready, they are harvested to be consumed or sold at supermarkets and other retail outlets around the island.

For Mr Pougin, Nespresso's current focus is on making the recycling process as smooth as possible for customers. To this end, customers can drop their used pods at Nespresso boutiques at ION Orchard and Takashimaya department store. They can also opt for the Recycling@Home initiative, in which a courier will collect used capsules while delivering a new order.