Ipswich Council recently (24 January) rolled out kerbside recycling for coffee pods for all residents. The scheme has been launched in partnership with coffee pod recycling service Podback, with collection available for both plastic and aluminium pods.
Those who register for the scheme receive either recycling bags or a caddy, depending on the kind of coffee pods they use, with material collected alongside standard recycling bins on normal collection days.
Areas using communal waste and recycling collections are also able to participate in the new service, with dedicated units installed in bin stores in areas of high-demand.
Upon reprocessing, coffee grounds will be removed from the pods to be used to create soil improver and renewable energy, with the remaining plastic and aluminium to be reformed into new products.
According to research conducted by YouGov on behalf of Podback, UK consumers have bought 1.2 billion coffee pods since January 2021. More than 35 per cent of users are reportedly unaware that the products can be recycled, with an additional 90 per cent stating that they’d like to be able to do so from home.
Councillor Phil Smart, Ipswich Borough Council’s Portfolio Holder for Environment & Climate Change, stated: “With the introduction of flexible working and more people working from home and drinking coffee, the expansion of the recycling service to collect coffee pods couldn’t come at a better time.
“Recycling is one of the easiest things we can do to protect the environment, and this scheme with Podback will offer our residents a simple way to recycle their coffee pods and help create a more circular economy for our waste and resources, with more materials being recycled and reused.
“The coffee pods will be collected every week for recycling using both our household waste and recycling vehicles. Podback is funding the service so there is no cost to the council tax payer and it’s an excellent way for us to improve our existing recycling service.”
Rick Hindley, Podback’s Executive Director, added: “Podback is a pioneering new service. Consumers can already access local Collect + stores of which there are more than 6,500 in the UK, to drop off empty coffee pods.
“However, this new collaboration with Ipswich Borough Council, to introduce coffee pod collections through the existing kerbside waste and recycling services will make it even easier for consumers to participate at home whilst helping the Council increase the amount it recycles.”
Following its launch in April, Podback partnered with local authorities in South Derbyshire, Chichester, Cheltenham and Oxford to implement similar schemes, with over 500,000 coffee pods being recycled in Cheltenham between April and December. The service is also offered at Morrisons’ ‘Zero-Waste’ stores in Edinburgh.
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