The collaboration is expected to reduce 43,000 tons of aluminium foil and other mixed metals that are currently going to local landfills yearly
Image: Nespresso teams up with DSNY and SMR to improve New York’s ability to recycle coffee capsules and other products. Photo: courtesy of PR Newswire.
Nestlé’s operating unit Nespresso has collaborated with the New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) and Sims Municipal Recycling (SMR) for the city’s curb side programme.
Under the programme, the team will help to improve New Yorkers’ ability to recycle their Nespresso coffee capsules and other lightweight aluminium items.
Earlier this year, the coffee brand has provided $1.2m to improve the recovery of small aluminium and also to increase the curb side recycling of its coffee capsules in New York City.
With the funding, SMR has purchased a new technology to improve the sorting and capturing of small, lightweight aluminium and increasing the efficacy of the New York City’s recycling system.
Nespresso USA president and CEO Guillaume Le Cunff said: “We make our capsules from aluminium because it’s a fully recyclable metal and it is an excellent material for preserving the quality of our coffee.
“We are constantly innovating to make recycling easier for Nespresso customers and to contribute new solutions to all recycling challenges, and we’re excited to help improve recovery in New York City and lessen the amount of all kinds of aluminium in our landfills today.”
The collaboration is expected to support City’s Zero Waste initiative and will help to reduce 43,000 tonnes of aluminium foil and other mixed metals that are currently going to local landfills yearly.
Nespresso’s existing recycling programs in the US
SMR general manager Thomas Outerbridge said: “Our glass plant processes more than 11,000 tons of materials per month, and we’re excited to see that number increase due to our collaboration with Nespresso and DSNY.
“The materials that are recovered in our facility are sold to manufacturers, which allows them to be turned into new products.”
Currently, Nespresso has partnered with UPS for a recycling programme in the US, where consumers in 48 states were given pre-paid recycling bags to delivery back them with Nespresso used capsules to one of the 88,000 UPS drop off locations in the 48 states for recycling.
In August this year, the coffee band selected JD Logistics to provide doorstep recycling service for the customers in China.