The cross-industry coffee pod recycling scheme and local authority partners have been recognised in the Partnership Excellence – public/private sector category.
The MRW National Recycling Awards are considered the most prestigious awards in the recycling and resource management sector, with winning projects and teams recognised for their achievements within the industry and further along the supply chain.
Winners of the National Recycling Awards are considered beacons for best practice and excellence, helping to advance the sector. The Podback coffee pod recycling initiative that has been shortlisted for an award enables households across the UK to recycle their coffee pods under one scheme.
Administered by Ecosurety, it was launched in April 2021 by Nestlé and Jacobs Douwe Egberts UK, meaning that consumers of coffee brands including Nespresso, NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto, Starbucks by Nespresso, Starbucks by NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto, Tassimo and L’OR can now recycle their used plastic or aluminium coffee pods by using any of the 6,500 Collect+ drop-off points or via kerbside collections with a number of local authorities who now accept them for recycling.
Local authority partnerships
Local authorities who are part of the Podback scheme include Cheltenham, South Derbyshire, Chichester and Oxford, with discussions ongoing with other local authorities to expand kerbside collections. It is this collaboration with local authorities to enable the easiest possible recycling option for consumers of coffee pods that has been specifically recognised in the award shortlist.
The scheme is also exploring a ‘handover at home’ option, meaning that consumers can have their used coffee pods collected for recycling when they have their groceries delivered.
Once collected and recycled, the plastic is used by manufacturers to create high grade plastic products such as garden furniture, whilst the aluminium can be used to create beverage cans or in the manufacture of car parts, for example. The coffee grounds meanwhile are processed through anaerobic digestion to produce soil improver and biogas energy,
Winners of the awards will be announced on 8 December 2021 at an event in London.
