Nespresso pilots aluminum coffee capsules recycling solution in Canada

30 Jul 2024 --- Nespresso and Circular Materials have spearheaded the Nespresso Green Bag Recycling Program in London, Canada. The initiative aims to provide residents with an easy and convenient solution to recycling used aluminum Nespresso coffee capsules. The city of London is the first municipality in Ontario to adopt this recycling solution.

Locals can place their used capsules in the Nespresso green bag and deposit it in their blue box at home. Once collected, these bags are sent to a sorting center, where the capsules undergo a specialized process to separate the coffee grounds from the aluminum.

The aluminum is then recycled, and the coffee grounds are transformed into high-quality compost.

“Circular Materials celebrates the expansion of Nespresso’s Green Bag Solution in London, Ontario, and is proud to contribute to advancing the circular economy by bringing an easy and convenient solution to recycling in residents’ homes,” says Allen Langdon, CEO of Circular Materials.

“This initiative is a testament to the power of partnerships and collaborating with stakeholders. By working together, we are bringing innovative solutions to improve recycling and enhance the recycling system in Ontario.”

Carlos Oyanguren, president of Nespresso Canada, adds that implementing the Green Bag Program in Ontario has been “a priority for Nespresso for years.”

“Nespresso has played a key role in reducing residual materials in Canada by implementing innovative recycling solutions for over a decade now,” he comments. 

“We are confident that this collaboration with Circular Materials in Ontario will enhance recycling and we look forward to expanding this solution to other municipalities.”

In previous advances, Starbucks partnered with pod recycling service Podback to allow customers to pick up Podback’s free-of-charge drop-off recycling bags across all of its 1,250 UK coffee shops.

Morrisons also rolled out coffee pod collection points together with Podback in more than 350 UK stores.

Packaging Insights explored this year’s coffee pack trends in a recent Special Report, where connected tech, compostability and capsule designs were pegged as 2024’s main challenges.