How much coffee have you had today?
As a country we'll drink more than 400 million cups...
as a species, it's more like 2 billion.
That’s a lot of coffee…
One of the most popular ways to deliver this caffeinated addiction is the coffee pod... an on demand, pre-proportioned serving of ground coffee served in a ready-to-go, single use container. By offering variety, low-cost and most of all convenience - the single cup coffee brewer has come from non-existent, to household staple in less than 20 years.
But this convenience comes at a cost. 10 of billions of these single use pods are made every year. The majority of which are plastic cups filled with organic content (coffee) sealed with aluminum foil - which means they are nearly impossible to recycle in a single stream facility.
With coffee consumption growing at an average rate of 2.5% globally every year, the number of coffee pods produced (and wasted) is bound to grow along with it. We need a solution sooner rather than later. Fortunately, circular systems allow participants to have the nicer things in life without wasting our resources and polluting the planet.
Nespresso is showing us how this is possible...
Nespresso launched the original coffee pod brewer in 1986; and in doing so essentially changed the way we drink coffee in the home. Now their coffee pod recycling program is one of the first of its kind to give customers a way to “close the loop” of a circular economy.
It starts on the farm; by supporting regenerative farming techniques that increase biodiversity, enrich soil, conserve local water supplies and enhance ecosystem services.
It continues with the material they use for their pods - aluminum. Aluminum is able to keep foods fresher for longer, and there’s no limit to how many times it can be recycled.
Finally, Nespresso completes the cycle by providing their customers with a cost-free return program that recycles both the aluminum and the used coffee grounds.
360 Living
To take part in Nespresso's circular program, begin by purchasing coffee pods on their website, or by visiting one of their retail locations. Then enjoy the delicious coffee at your convenience and close the loop by using one of two options available for recycling them:
Order a free recycling bag, fill it with your used pods and drop it off at any UPS location, no payment for shipping is required.
Drop the used pods at any one of the established collection points set up across the country. Find a location here.
Nespresso offers premium coffee with full convenience, in a way that allows us to keep doing so for a long time to come.