Recycling project

Where old coffee capsules get a new lease of life

More than nine million coffee capsules have been collected in Austria since fall 2023 alone.(Bild: Seccon)

Recycling, what else? After enjoying a cup of coffee, take the packaging to the collection point instead of throwing it away: since the fall, an initiative has given a huge boost to the processing of used coffee capsules. Pettenbach plays a key role in this. The plant required for this is located in Upper Austria.

The enjoyment of coffee and the fight against mountains of waste - these two issues are now inseparable. When it comes to to-go consumption, a lot revolves around the question of how to reduce the consumption of cups that ultimately end up in the bin. When it comes to capsules, the use of aluminum is a major issue.

The used coffee capsules are recycled in Pettenbach.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Seccon (2))

"We introduced our own recycling system on a voluntary basis back in 2009 in order to keep aluminum in the cycle for as long as possible," says Marianne Neumüller-Klapper, Sustainability Manager at Nespresso Austria. There are already more than 2100 collection points in the Alpine republic for the Nestlé Group brand's capsules.

Since October, more than 120 tons have been collected in Austria. This corresponds to more than nine million capsules.

Marianne Neumüller-Klapper, Nachhaltigkeitsmanagerin bei Nespresso Österreich

Bild: Philipp Lipiarski / www.goodlifecrew.at

Since the fall of 2023, the range of return points for used coffee capsules of all brands and materials has been expanded on the initiative of Altstoff Recycling Austria AG, or ARA for short, and the Austrian Coffee and Tea Association.

Pilot project runs until the end of this week
In Upper Austria, these can now be handed in at waste collection centers, all Billa Plus branches and all Nespresso return locations - at least until the end of the week, which is how long the pilot project will run.

More than nine million capsules have been collected in the last few months, all of which will be processed at the Seccon recycling plant in Pettenbach. Aluminium and plastic are recovered from the packaging, while the coffee grounds can be used to produce biofertilizer, oil binding agents and biogas.