Can coffee capsules fit in the circular economy?
To answer that important question, we first need to explain how the circular economy works.
In our travels into the "recycling world" while researching for rePodder™, we have seen many descriptions of what the circular economy actually means. One of the simplest explanations we have found is from European Parliament News briefing.1
"The circular economy is a model of production and consumption, which involves sharing, leasing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing and recycling existing materials and products as long as possible. In this way, the life cycle of products is extended.
In practice, it implies reducing waste to a minimum. When a product reaches the end of its life, its materials are kept within the economy wherever possible. These can be productively used again and again, thereby creating further value.
This is a departure from the traditional, linear economic model, which is based on a take-make-consume-throw away pattern. This model relies on large quantities of cheap, easily accessible materials and energy."
European Parliament Briefing – Closing the loop1In our opinion coffee pods are an easy example of how certain resources can fit into the circular economy.
Using facts, figures and CAGR, we've crunched the numbers to estimate 77 Billion capsules will be produced in 2022. With Nespresso® officially publishing that less than 30% of their brand capsules are being returned globally (equating to 4.5 Billion, approx.), it means there are still a huge amount of coffee capsules ending up in our local landfills. rePodder is tackling this head-on and has developed a NEW alternate option to recycle coffee capsules at home.
COOL FACT
Aluminium is one of the few metals that can be re-used and re-refined infinitely without degradation. This versatility is a saving grace for any single-use item made with it.
When aluminium is recycled there is a 95% energy saving in comparison to the production of first-use (new) aluminium. To breakdown that energy saving… statistics indicate the energy saved by recycling one aluminium drink can, would power a television for 3 hours. Whoa!
The next leap in the circular economy would be to produce coffee capsules with recycled aluminium, therefore tightening the loop. For recycling to work within the circular economy we must ensure there is a value to the resource, which will continue the circular usage. In saying that, aluminium is so versatile that the recycled aluminium can enter many other resource loops, thus continuing to be valuable and kept out of the waste stream.
COOL FACT
Coffee is an organic material that can be readily returned to the earth as compost or mulch. There are also many other uses other for the used coffee grounds (download our FREE PDF guide for "10 Uses For Coffee Grounds").
The least taxing method on the environment to get the aluminium into the circular loop, is via your household recycling bins — the ones your council provide you to collect all of your home recyclable items. However individually, these pods are too small to be captured at local Material Recycling Facilities (MRFs) because one of the first steps filters out items smaller than a tennis ball and sends them to landfill.
Nespresso® & TerraCycle® have "collect & return" programs running for aluminium capsules — but only a fraction of people are using them. These programs are also brand-exclusive (ie. won't accept other branded capsules). Plus, there is quite a bit of additional carbon footprint associated:
- production of plastic bags & boxes,
- freight to special MRFs,
- processing at the MRFs,
- disposal of the plastic bags & boxes.
It's time
We need an alternate option, to assist in capturing the aluminium capsules that are being tossed out – and preferably without adding any further carbon footprint to the capsule's short life.
Finally, A Sustainable Solution
There is a new little tool that is making waves across the coffee capsule and recycling industries — rePodder™. It was invented to provide the alternate solution with sustainability at its core. You use rePodder to open, empty, and crush the capsules. Then you simply fold the capsules and insert into an empty aluminium can (because anything less than 2" x 2" will fall through sorting filters at MRFs and end up in landfill).
This patent-pending process captures the small aluminium capsules, allowing them to be 100% recycled. Plus you do this at home and put into your home recycling bin. With the added benefit of zero plastic needed, or additional emission from transport and processing, this provides a massive carbon footprint saving. Plus rePodder doesn't discriminate on brands — it will process ANY brand of standard-size aluminium coffee capsules (eg. L'OR, Moconna, illy, Vittoria, Starbucks, Lavazza, plus many more).
By using recycling infrastructures that are already in place (ie. council's kerbside collection) and not having to create new systems we can further reduce our footprint. The majority of industrialised nations have pre-existing municipal recycling programs in operation today.
By adopting the circular economy principles and continually refining the products and processes as we go, the future is looking brighter. It doesn't have to be immediately perfect, it just has to start as soon as possible, and continue to improve. Right now is the perfect time to start that change.
We are on the frontier of a recycling revolution. Come with us, as we lead the change to integrate coffee pods into the circular economy.