
Residents can recycle both aluminium and plastic beverage pods at Derbyshire County Council’s household waste recycling centres.
Billions of coffee, tea and hot chocolate pods are used globally with 800 million being sold in the UK alone last year. The technology is available to recycle them and help to cut waste.
The county council has special containers at their recycling centres to collect them. There are separate containers for plastic and aluminium pods as they are recycled in different ways by Podback a not-for-profit recycling service, created and funded by the UK’s leading coffee pod systems.
All the pods collected by Podback are recycled in the UK. They are shredded to remove the coffee, then the plastic and aluminium are used to create new products, including packaging, car components and building products. The coffee grounds are treated by anaerobic digestion to create renewable energy (biogas) and soil improver.
When residents take their used coffee, tea and hot chocolate pods to their local recycling centres they should be emptied loose into the appropriate aluminium or plastic Podback container. The Podback containers are clearly signed. Bags and other packaging should not be included.
The service is available at eight of the nine recycling centres including Ilkeston Household Waste Recycling Centre on the Manners Industrial Estate.