This week, we’ve introduced coffee pod recycling at all nine of our Household Recycling Centres.
The new coffee pod bins offer residents an environmentally friendly way to separately dispose of both aluminium and plastic coffee pods.
Over 1 billion coffee pods are sold each year in the UK alone. Waste from these ‘single-use’ pods will lead to a huge environmental impact if not recycled properly, in the UK and globally.
The County Council is partnering with Podback to provide coffee pod recycling services. Podback was initially created by Nespresso, NESCAFE Dolce Gusto and Tassimo to help their customers recycle their coffee pods and is now supported by many more coffee brands.
Podback recycles coffee pods in the UK, to reduce waste and saving on new materials. Collected pods are shredded and cleaned of coffee. The shredded pods can be made into new products, while the coffee grounds are used to help create renewable energy and soil improver.
Adam Smith, Head of Waste Management Services at Cambridgeshire County Council said: “Coffee pods are an increasingly popular way to enjoy coffee at home but, if not recycled properly, they lead to valuable materials being lost to landfill.
“Coffee pods might be ‘single use’ but the materials which they’re made of shouldn’t be. The plastic and aluminium in coffee pods can be recycled and used again and again, and even the coffee grounds still have value as a source of energy.
“Using the new coffee pod bins at our Household Recycling Centres is another way that you can help us to create a greener Cambridgeshire.”
Rick Hindley, Podback Executive Director, added: “It’s great to be able to expand the Podback service to Cambridgeshire County Council’s Household Recycling Centres.
“We want to make coffee pod recycling as easy as possible, and this new service enables residents to drop off pods when convenient, alongside other recyclables, and helping to reduce waste and increase recycling.”
Did you know?
You can recycle a huge variety of items at our Household Recycling Centres from aerosols, batteries, and cooking oil, to mobile phones, soil and vapes.
There are nine Household Recycling Centres across Cambridgeshire, run by Thalia, with locations in Alconbury, Bluntisham, March, Milton, St Neots, Thriplow, Whittlesey, Wisbech and Witchford.
Find out more about recycling in Cambridgeshire: Household Recycling Centres
