Nespresso commits $1.2m to improve coffee capsule recycling

The New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY), and Sims Municipal Recycling (SMR) have announced that Nespresso has committed $1.2 million to improve the recycling rates of Nespresso coffee capsules through New York’s curbside recycling programme.

Nespresso’s coffee capsules are largely made from aluminium, and Nespresso claims that the funding will allow SMR to better sort and capture lightweight aluminium, including foil and other mixed metals, making it possible for these items to be turned into new products.

SMR will use the funding to invest in technology that improves the efficiency of its non-magnetic household metals recycling process, helping to reduce the amount of aluminium that ends up in landfill sites.

The equipment is estimated to be operational in late 2019, and residents across the five boroughs in New York City will be encouraged to recycle their Nespresso capsules as part of their regular recycling routine.

Guillaume Le Cunff, president and CEO of Nespresso USA, said: “Nespresso is deeply committed to the circular use of our products, choosing aluminium packaging because it both protects the quality of our exceptional coffees and can be recycled and reused again and again.

“This collaboration will provide New York City-based consumers with another convenient way to recycle used capsules and other aluminium products at home, allowing these items to be given many new lives.

“New Yorkers are familiar with recycling aluminium cans, and we want to encourage people to also recycle a wider array of aluminium products that they use on a regular basis.”

Thomas Outerbridge, general manager of Sims Municipal Recycling, added: “Sims Municipal Recycling’s role is to take the household recyclables that DSNY collects from New Yorkers and convert them into commodities or raw materials for manufacturers.

“Nespresso has been extremely proactive in working with us to find an effective solution that is convenient for customers and that will allow us to direct the aluminium into productive reuse.”