It’s super important for us to do our bit for the environment and recycle the pods.
That’s why I took the time to find out all the ways you can do it. And that’s exactly what I’m going to be showing you in this article.
Here’s a list of the things you’re about to learn:
Let us begin.
Key Takeaways
- You can order a recycling bag for free from Nespresso
- The bag can fit 100 Vertuo pods or 200 original line pods
- You can return Nespresso pods by post, through UPS dropoff, in store or at collection points
- You can choose to reuse the pods if you prefer
- Do not recycle the pods at home!
How to Order Your Nespresso Recycling Bag
All you need to do to have your bag sent out is head over to the Nespresso website and order it, free of charge. Here are the steps you’ll need to carry out, which should only take five minutes or so.
1. Locate the bag: Head over to this link and press the “Add to Bag” button. It’ll pop up with a little window asking you how many you want to order. And remember, they’re free, so you can grab as many as you like.
2. Go to your bag: Hit the “Your Bag” button in the top right of the screen, and then hit “Open Shopping Bag” at the bottom of the banner that arrives on the right of the screen.
3. Sign into your account: Use the email and password feels to log into your Nespresso account. If you can do this, skip step four. If you don’t have an account already, you can hit the “Create Account” button on the right of the screen, then proceed to the next step.
4. Enter your account information: You’ll need to enter your Nespresso membership number which can be found on the invoice of the last thing you ordered from them. Then, proceed through the next pages to enter your billing information, payment details etc.
5. Confirm your order: On the last page, double check you’ve got your information right (particularly your shipping address) and complete the transaction. You’ll get an email to confirm that your recycling bag will be with you within the next few days.
You can also choose to order a Nespresso recycling bin if you want something with a little more structure to put the pods in. However, this is going to cost money and it’s not necessary at all.
Returning the Pods to a Collection Point
Now that you’ve filled your bag up with used pods, it’s time to send them back to be recycled. Probably the easiest way to do this is to drop them off to an official Nespresso collection point.
Firstly, you’re going to need to find the nearest one to you. You can do that at this link (just scroll down to the button that says ‘Find a Recycling Point’. Then, just find your area on the map and work out which is closest to you.
There’s no need to schedule your dropoff so just head over to the recycling point and give the bag over. You’re good to go! You might have to hand them over to a customer service desk or there might just be a container that you can drop the bag into.
By the way, you should be able to fit 100 Vertuo pods or 200 original line pods into the bag. I recommend trying to fill it up as much as possible in the interest of efficiency and protecting the environment!
It should also be noted that, on the flip side, you won’t be able to handle the bag over if it can’t be closed. So, don’t overfill it.
Dropping the Pods Off to a UPS or Nespresso Store
Another couple of places you can drop your used pods off are UPS or a Nespresso store. To find one of these, you can use the UPS store locator here or the Nespresso store locator here.
The process here is pretty similar to that mentioned above. So, have a read back through the last section to find out what you need to do and how many pods you should be putting into the bag.
Ordering a Collection for Your Nespresso Pods
You don’t actually have to leave the house at all to return your Nespresso pods for recycling. You can schedule a home collection free of charge as well!
To do this, just order another bag and give the pods to the delivery driver when he drops them off. This way, you can keep a continuous loop of bag ordering and bag recycling going, which is pretty neat.
Of course, this method is more convenient in that you don’t have to go anywhere to drop the pods off. However, you will need to make sure you’re at home to hand the pods over to the delivery person, so this might get in the way of your day.
Again, you’ll need to make sure the bag can be closed but is also as full as it can be. Aim for 100 Vertuo pods or 200 original line ones.
How to Reuse Your Nespresso Pods
A final option that’s alternative to recycling your Nespresso pods is to actually reuse them. And this is the most eco-friendly of all! Here’s how you do it.
1. Clean the pod: Take the cap off the pod, tap all the coffee grounds out of it and then give it a good rinse with water to get rid of all the leftover coffee residue. Then, dry it with a tea towel or a paper towel.
2. Make a new cap: Grab some aluminum foil from your kitchen and use a pair of scissors to cut a circle that’s a little larger than the diameter of the pod. You’ll later use this to wrap around the pod as a makeshift cap.
3. Fill and cover the pod: Take some coffee grounds and fill the pod. Make sure not to overfill it though. You’re going to want to leave at least 1 mm of space at the top so that the pod doesn’t overflow while it’s going through the brewing cycle.
At the same time, make sure not to underfill the pod, otherwise the aluminum could collapse into it and you’ll get a whole bunch of coffee grounds all inside your Nespresso machine.
Now, just put your lid back over it, taking care to cover all the sides and wrap it around the lip.
4. Use your new pod: If you packed it correctly, you’ll be able to use your new, makeshift pod in the same way that you would use a regular pod. This is very environmentally friendly and a lot more affordable than buying a fresh batch of pods each time. Nice work!
If you do this efficiently, you’ll be able to reuse the pod 2 or 3 more times. After this, you can recycle it in one of the three ways I listed above.
Recycle Your Nespresso Pods Worldwide
The process of recycling your Nespresso pods varies a little around the world so let’s take a look at what you might have to do if you’re not based in the US.
1. Canada
There are two different bag colors for recycling Nespresso pods in Canada: red and green. Red is for dropping into a post office or a Canada post mailbox and green is for adding to your recycling bin or municipal recycling bag as part of your regular home recycling.
You can also choose to recycle in a Nespresso store using any bag, either one from Nespresso or one of your own.
Another difference here is that the complimentary recycling bags are automatically added to your order, so you won’t need to worry about adding them to your basket in the way I described above.
2. UK
We’re back to just the one bag over in the UK, and you can use it in four different ways:
- Podback kerbside collection: You can have the pods collected via the Yodel delivery company as a part of the Podback collection program.
- Nespresso doorstep pickup: This new service is coming home, and might well be up and running by the time you read this article. And it means exactly what it says, that Nespresso will collect the pods for you.
- Nespresso store dropoff: It’s also possible to simply take your Nespresso bag into one of the official Nespresso stores and have them take care of it for you.
- Podback dropoff: This Yodel service requires you to print out a label and take it to a collection point which could be a newsagent or local store of some variety.
3. Ireland
In Ireland, you’ll grab your Nespresso bag then pick from one of the following three options:
- Anpost Click & Post: You can choose to drop your Nespresso pods off to one of 950 locations across Ireland with this service.
- Anpost doorstep collection: If you prefer, Anpost can come and collect the pods from your home.
- Nespresso store dropoff: Another type of location you can drop the pods off to is the official Nescafe store.
4. New Zealand
New Zealanders have three different options to choose from when it comes to recycling their Nespresso pods:
- NZ PostShop dropoff: Just order a recycling bag, fill it with used Nespresso pods and then take it to your nearest PostShop location.
- Bulk box: You can also order a bulk box if you want to collect on behalf of a club, a workplace or another larger group of people.
- Nespresso store dropoff: And, of course, it’s also possible to simply take your pods into your local Nespresso store to recycle them there.
5. Australia
Across the ocean in Australia, there’s an extra option for coffee pod recycling. Here are the four:
- Collection point dropoff: There are various collection points around Australia that you can take your used pods off too.
- Bulk box: Australians can order the bulk box too if they want to collect on behalf of more than just a household of people.
- Nespresso store dropoff: Again, you can just take your pods into a Nespresso store if you like.
- Australia Post: The Australia Post service can collect your used pods from home if you find this option easier.
6. Germany
The German recycling services can take care of your Nespresso pods so you don’t have to worry about going through the Nespresso route if you don’t want to. You can recycle your pods through the recycling bin or communal recycling centers.
It’s also possible to take your pods to the Nespresso store or have them collected as well though.
FAQ: How to Recycle Nespresso Pods
Now that you know everything you need to know about how to recycle Nespresso pods, here are a couple of extra pieces of information that you may well need.
Can I recycle my Nespresso pods at home?
Unfortunately not in most of the US, unless you fill up the Nespresso bag and have it collected.
Regular recycling plants don’t have the facilities to recycle aluminum. So, if you put them in the recycling bin at home, the chances are that they’ll end up in the landfill.
Some countries around the world do have the facilities to recycle the pods, such as Canada, so it could be worth reaching out to your local authorities or making an inquiry with Nespresso.
How do I clean my Nespresso machine if my makeshift pods burst?
Getting coffee grounds inside your Nespresso machine can be super annoying.
But it’s definitely fixable, and shouldn’t be too tricky. You just need to remove all the detachable parts from your Nespresso machine and give them a soak, plus wipe out the inside of your machine with a cloth.
For more information on cleaning your Nespresso machine in general, take a look at this article.
Last Thoughts
You can choose to recycle your Nespresso pods from the comfort of your own home, or drop them off in one of several different types of collection locations across the map.
Alternatively, you can get creative and reuse your pods with the steps above. This is a great way to save some more money and to help the environment.
Nespresso makes it super easy for these pods to be recycled, and now that you’ve read this article, you should know everything you need to know about getting it done.
By the way, if you’re thinking about upgrading your Nespresso machine then check out this article.
It’s going to show you everything you need to know about what to think about when buying one, including a few of my personal recommendations.
