Westchester County, NY, adds Nespresso capsules to curbside recycling

More than 900,000 residents in New York’s Westchester County Refuse Disposal District can recycle used Nespresso capsules and other small, aluminum items directly in their at-home curbside recycling bins, alongside their regular metal, glass, carton and plastic recyclables.

This initiative seeks to support material collection and growing recycled aluminum demand, keeping aluminum in use longer and reinforcing the value of recycling, with organizations such as the International Aluminum Institute leading the way. 

"Aluminum can be recycled endlessly, yet close to 8 million metric tons go uncollected worldwide every year, 58 percent of it from packaging,” says Marlen Bertram, director, scenarios and forecasts, International Aluminum Institute, based in London. “That is a serious loss of a critical raw material our economies depend on.

“This project proves what is possible when we work with customers, collaborate across materials and partner with countries and communities: We can recover far more scrap and return it to the circular economy,” he continues. “That is an opportunity we cannot afford to miss."

Small-format aluminum recyclables are processed locally at the Department of Environmental Facilities material recovery facility, allowing the district to divert additional material from the waste stream, conserve natural resources and continue to make recycling easy for residents.

"Westchester County is proud to work with partners like Nespresso and the Glass Packaging Institute to make recycling more accessible for our residents,” says Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkin. “Expanding curbside recycling to include Nespresso capsules and other small, nonferrous aluminum items helps capture more valuable resources and keep additional waste out of landfills. This collaboration is another example of how public and private partners can work together to make sustainability easier for our communities."

"Expanding our curbside recycling program to Westchester marks a significant step forward for recycling infrastructure," says Melania Luna, vice president of operations, Nespresso USA. "For over 30 years, Nespresso has been committed to making recycling easy for our customers. Thanks to our partners, Westchester County, Glass Packaging Institute, and the U.S. Aluminum Association, we're thrilled that our capsules and other small metals can now be properly captured and given a second life. Through collaborations like this, we create a pathway not only for our products but for the entire industry to advance recycling solutions."

"Smaller recyclable metals, plastics and paper are often lost at the initial sort and end up in the glass recycling material,” adds Scott DeFife, president of the Glass Packaging Institute, Arlington, Virginia. "Investments in equipment, with support from Nespresso and partner communities like Westchester County, help to effectively recover and recycle smaller materials in their proper place.”

This Westchester initiative is the latest in Nespresso's effort to increase the recycling of its aluminum capsules. The program builds on the success of similar curbside programs the company has supported in New York City and Jersey City.

Vevey, Switzerland-based Nespresso provides consumers across the U.S. with multiple options to recycle their used coffee capsules. In addition to growing curbside and Recycling at Home pickup options, Nespresso consumers can bring used capsules to more than 100,000 collection points nationwide, including Nespresso boutiques and select retailers, or use a prepaid mailer to send them back to Nespresso recycling partners at no cost.

Nespresso says its Original capsules are made from 80 percent-recycled aluminum, and 88 percent of Nespresso Vertuo capsules are made of 85 percent-recycled aluminum content.

This article was originally published in Recycling Today.