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Cross-industry coffee pod recycling scheme, Podback, goes live across the UK

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  • Industry leaders Nestlé and Jacobs Douwe Egberts UK announced the formation of Podback at the end of 2020
  • From today, consumers of coffee brands including Nespresso, Nescafé Dolce Gusto, Starbucks by Nespresso, Starbucks by Nescafé Dolce Gusto, Tassimo and L’OR will be able to recycle pods through one collective scheme
  • Cheltenham Borough Council and South Derbyshire District Council are the first local authority partners to begin kerbside collection for all residents, with Chichester District Council to begin trialling the scheme over the next two months

 

15 April 2021 – Households across the UK can now recycle their coffee pods using one simple and easy recycling scheme. Podback is a first of its kind recycling programme for coffee pods set up by the two biggest players in the UK coffee industry, Nestlé and Jacobs Douwe Egberts UK.

From today, consumers can recycle their Nespresso, Nescafé Dolce Gusto, Starbucks by Nespresso, Starbucks by Nescafé Dolce Gusto, Tassimo and L’OR coffee pods in two simpler ways:

  • Collect+ delivered by Yodel: Consumers will be able to take their used coffee pods to their nearest drop-off point. There are thousands of drop-off points in local stores across the UK, open seven days a week. Consumers can order recycling bags directly from any of the participating Podback brands online and will also be available in supermarkets soon.
  • Kerbside collection: Over 200,000 people living across Cheltenham Borough Council and South Derbyshire District Council will be able to sign up to use kerbside recycling for their coffee pods. Used pods will be collected alongside other household waste and recycling from 10 May.* Consumers can check whether their area is eligible, how each council will run the collection service, and order recycling bags on the via www.podback.org


We know that kerbside is a mechanism that people want – with research showing that nine in 10 (90%) would like to be able to recycle their coffee pods alongside their household recycling.** With this in mind, Podback has the ambition to expand kerbside collection to as many local areas as possible across the UK so that even more people can benefit from this service. In the short term, kerbside will expand to Chichester District Council over the next two months.

Podback is also calling for all brands and retailers of aluminium and plastic pods to join the initiative so consumers can use one simple scheme for all their pods. The programme continues to be in discussions with major retailers to facilitate a ‘handover at home’ option, meaning that consumers can have their used coffee pods collected for recycling when they have their groceries delivered.

Guillaume Chesneau, Board Director of Podback and Managing Director, Nespresso UK and Ireland: “For over ten years, our mission has been to ensure that every single pod that customers enjoy will be recycled. Today marks a significant step towards this ambition and joining forces with our industry partners to deliver kerbside collection will make recycling pods much simpler and easier for customers. We hope local authorities and retailers up and down the UK will join us on this ambitious journey to make this a future reality.”

Toby Bevans, Board Director of Podback, Marketing Director, JDE UK and Ireland, said: “Podback’s aim is for every pod enjoyed to be easily recycled. We’re doing this by providing simple and convenient routes for people to recycle their pods. To continue expanding this, we want even more brands, retailers and local authorities to get involved to ensure that it is easier for everyone.”

Richard Howatson, Board Director of Podback, Business Unit Manager, Nescafé Dolce Gusto and Starbucks Coffee at Home, Nestlé UK and Ireland, said: “It’s fantastic to have our first local authority partners on board – we’re looking forward to expanding even further over the coming months, making pod coffee more sustainable and kerbside collections of pods a reality for more households across the country. In the meantime, we encourage all consumers to use the scheme and for other brands and retailers to join Podback.”

Visit www.podback.org to find out more information about the scheme

 

Notes to editors

* How each council will run the scheme will vary, check the Podback website to see the specifics. Residents in Cheltenham and South Derbyshire will be contacted with further information on the scheme from 19 April.

** The polling was conducted by YouGov on behalf of Podback, between 9-11 September 2020. Total sample size was 4,323 adults.

About Podback founding members:

  • JACOBS DOUWE EGBERTS (JDE): For more than 265 years, we have been inspired by the belief that it’s amazing what can happen over a cup of coffee. Today our coffee portfolio is available in over 100 countries and we are proudly part of the JDE Peet’s Group, the world’s largest pure-play coffee and tea company. In the UK and Ireland, our household brand names include Tassimo, L’OR, Kenco and Douwe Egberts.
  • NESTLÉ: Nestlé is the world’s largest food and beverage company. With more than 2000 brands ranging from global icons to local favourites, we are present in 189 countries around the world. Our UK and Ireland coffee pod brands include Nespresso, Nescafé Dolce Gusto and Starbucks Coffee at Home.

 

About the recycling process:

  • The plastic and aluminium pods are processed separately to produce plastic pellets and aluminium ingots. The plastic pellets will be used by manufacturers to produce high grade plastic items, like garden furniture, while the aluminium ingots can create beverage cans, car spare parts and other everyday objects.
  • The coffee grounds go through anaerobic digestion, producing both soil improver and biogas.

 

About the existing recycling schemes offered by the brands:

  • For a number of years, Nespresso, Tassimo and Nescafé Dolce Gusto have invested in recycling collection services and set-up dedicated processing facilities which have been successful in their own right.
  • Nespresso has been running a UK and Ireland recycling scheme for its aluminium pods for 10 years, with 40% of all pods recycled.
  • Tassimo has been working with TerraCycle for over ten years and with L’OR since 2017 to provide a route for consumers to recycle their coffee pods and packaging.
  • Nescafé Dolce Gusto set up its own recycling service in December 2018, which has been operational since January 2019. Through the scheme, consumers can return their Dolce Gusto pods via any Collect+ drop off point.