Nestlé and JDE Peet’s have joined forces to launch a nationwide coffee pod recycling programme in the UK.
Podback, a not-for-profit organisation, claims to be the UK’s first cross-industry collaboration of its kind within the coffee sector.
Launching in early 2021, the programme will give consumers more options to recycle their coffee pods. These include Collect+, kerbside collection, and a retailer ‘handover at home’ option, which means consumers can have their pods collected when their groceries are delivered.
Podback is currently in discussion with several local authorities to have collections operational at launch; with Exeter City Council, Cheltenham Borough Council and South Derbyshire District Council to become the first confirmed partners.
The recycling scheme will initially cover brands such as Nespresso, Nescafé, Dolce Gusto and Tassimo; with future expansion plans to cover all coffee brands that use plastic or aluminium pods in the UK.
Following collection, the pods will be taken to re-processors in the UK to separate the packaging from the used coffee grounds before being recycled into a range of everyday products.
The scheme comes as a YouGov poll reveals that more than a third of UK coffee pod drinkers are unaware that pods can be recycled. Meanwhile, nine in ten said they would like to be able to recycle the pods alongside their household recycling, which the Podback programme would enable.
“Our ambition is to create a powerful end-to-end recycling solution, available to all, and Podback demonstrates our commitment towards achieving this important goal,” said Guillaume Chesneau, managing director of Nespresso UK and Ireland, and board director of Podback.
Toby Bevans, marketing director of JDE UK and Ireland, and board director of Podback, added: “Together with Nestlé, we are calling on the entire industry to put commercial rivalries aside and collaborate, working together with other brands and retailers to make it as easy as possible for our consumers to recycle their pods.”
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