Spanish firm Recycap secures €400,000 funding to begin coffee pod recycling drive

The Valencia-based start-up, Recycap has raised €400,000 in funding to simplify the recycling of coffee capsules and amp up the company’s commercial operations.

Nowadays, one can brew fresh coffee at home with a simple press of a key. Plastic or aluminium coffee pods are found worldwide for small or commercial coffee machines. But very few people consider that these coffee pods have a very harmful effect on the environment. It has been estimated that over 4.9 billion coffee pods are dumped in landfills and forgotten yearly. It may take 500 years for each capsule to decompose entirely. It is extremely important to carve out a standard method for safely recycling coffee pods.

Recycap has introduced an automated REACT technology to collect, sort and recycle used coffee capsules. The start-up has secured €400,000 from Veos Ventures to introduce its flagship technology to the market and further develop it.

The founders said, “We are passionate about making a difference and take our environmental responsibility very seriously. We are constantly striving for new ways to reduce our impact on the planet by bringing new technologies and patented aluminium and coffee grounds recycling solutions to the market.”

The coffee pod market is swiftly emerging with every passing day. It stood at US$9.92 billion in 2021, which soared to reach US$12.33 billion in 2022. Almost 39,000 capsules are manufactured and circulated every sixty seconds globally; in Spain, over 5 million coffee pods are used daily. Among the haul, only 10% is successfully transformed into new raw material, but more than 100 tonnes of coffee-laden capsules end up in landfills every day.

Established in 2022 by Vicente Oller, Constantino Llobell Durá and Eduardo Pérez, Recycap allows members to recycle their plastic and aluminium capsules at the workplace or residence by disposing of the empty coffee pods in regular bins. Because of the company’s Recycap Automated Coffee Technology (REACT™) system, no prior sorting is required.

Other recycling schemes, like Podback, on the other hand, provide registered members with specialised collection bags, which in turn are ferried away by the company for recycling.

Recycap has formulated a way to completely remove coffee grounds from pods before sending empty plastic or aluminium cups for recycling.

Recycap founders narrated: “The REACT™ platform allows both businesses and consumers to recycle their coffee capsules in the comfort of their homes and offices and dispose of clean coffee capsules in regular recycling bins, reducing their environmental impact and allowing for the recycling and reuse of discarded aluminium.”

The latest funding will be applied to develop commercial-scale Recycap recycling machinery. The company also plans to partner with other industry heads to create the first home coffee machine with a fully integrated REACT™ technology. Recycap like Podback wishes to onboard well-known coffee retailers and brewers to induce point-of-sale aluminium coffee pod recycling drives. 

The co-founder and managing partner of Veos Ventures, Bassam Damaj, PhD, exemplified: “We believe REACT™ will bring revolutionary changes to the world of coffee capsule recycling, and we are impressed with Recycap® Technologies’ approach to solving this important environmental issue. We are delighted to have the opportunity to partner with the fantastic team at Recycap®.”