A hot topic for coffee consumers. At a basic level the answer is 'yes', though the devil is in the detail....
If a recycling plant can split different materials efficiently (a lot of plants still do not have the correct equipment to achieve this), then traditional aluminium pods can be recycled. But there stands a high chance of Nespresso customers thinking they are recycling appropriately, when in fact they are adding to the landfill problem.
This is why Nespresso now offer their own collection service to ensure empty pods go to the right type of recycling plant.
But perhaps the more important question is “are Nespresso capsules being recycled?” The answer is that roughly 70% of Nespresso capsules are still never recycled.
We see a lot of PR campaigns urging people to recycle (which we should of course). But from our perspective, these messages are too focused on consumers taking responsibility for delivering the sustainability of a product.
Here at Roar Gill, we see it the other way around - companies should be building sustainability into everything we do, rather than asking our customers to do it for us.
These are fixable issues – compostable capsule technology and careful management of carbon emissions along the supply chain go a long way to building sustainability.
Aluminium capsules are significantly cheaper to produce, but damage to the environment when not recycled is significant - taking hundreds of years to breakdown when they hit landfill.
We think the long term answer is clear. Take a look at Roar Gill's compostable pod range to see how you can help reduce waste.