Coffee pod recycling

An innovative Australian first pilot program is being launched in Mosman to collect aluminium coffee capsules through kerbside recycling.

The six-month program, which will enable 5000 households in the Mosman and Willoughby council areas to trial the convenience and safety of recycling their aluminium coffee capsules from home, may help develop a national coffee capsule recycling program.

The aluminium in collected coffee capsules, which is infinitely recyclable, is recovered and returned to aluminium producers, saving energy required for aluminium produced from scratch, while coffee grounds are used locally for commercial compost.

Kerbside collection of targeted recyclables, such as aluminium capsules, has been challenging due to the difficulty of separating materials. The use of a specially designed bag will ensure the capsules remain separate from other recycling materials for aggregating and sending on for processing through Nespresso’s recycling scheme.

Householders can register to participate in the trial, which is sponsored by Nespresso, by visiting curbythebilby.com.au/coffeecapsules or downloading the Curby App from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.