Where should I throw away used coffee capsules and pods?

In Italian homes, making coffee with espresso capsule or pod machines is becoming increasingly popular, as opposed to the traditional method using the moka pot.

But who hasn’t been assailed by doubts when it comes to choosing where to throw out coffee capsules and pods made of filter paper?! How to properly dispose of them in the separated waste collection while to respect the environment?

Where should I dispose of coffee capsules?

Let’s start with capsules, perhaps the most complicated single-portion element to recycle. If these are not made of biodegradable materials that can be disposed of in the organic waste collection, where to throw the capsules away depends on the type of material in which the ground coffee is enclosed: usually plastic or aluminium.

How to dispose of plastic capsules

To recycle plastic capsules in an eco-friendly way, there are a few things you must do, especially if you live in an area where plastic and aluminium are disposed of separately (contact your local town hall for details, just to be on the safe side):

• Remove the aluminium tab from the used capsule and dispose of it in the appropriate bin.
• Find out how to reuse the coffee grounds or dispose of them in the organic waste collection.
• Completely empty the plastic wrapping, removing all traces of coffee, and throw it in the plastic waste bin.

If you don’t intend to do this, the whole used capsule must be thrown away in the unrecyclable waste bin.

How to dispose of aluminium capsules

The most eco-sustainable way to dispose of aluminium capsules is similar to the method described for the single-portion plastic capsule:

• Remove the coffee powder: either dispose of it in the organic waste or transform it into a resource: did you know that you can reuse coffee grounds to fertilise plants or paint with the techniques of Coffee Painting?
• Wash the wrappings, removing all the coffee residues and dispose of them in to the aluminium waste collection, as aluminium is a 100% recyclable material.

There is also an alternative method that allows you to throw away the whole capsules. Once you’ve collected a good quantity of capsules, you can take them to the recycling stations scattered throughout Italy, where they are processed by the CiAl (Aluminium Packaging Consortium), which separates the various materials and recycles them accordingly.

Where do I dispose of coffee pods?

Pods are completely compostable because they are made with biodegradable materials and so can easily be disposed of in the organic waste. Good for the environment but also for you: an extra reason to treat yourself to a good coffee like the one you’re served at the bar with the Caffè Aiello pods.

And what if the problem wasn’t the content but the container? Everyone, sooner or later, finds themselves with a house full of old, broken coffee cups: find out how to correctly recycle coffee cups and saucers and, if you like trying your hand at imaginative solutions, you can also learn new creative recycling methods.