In this day and age, it may seem like we are creating more and more waste – this is because we are! There is a price behind our convenient gadgets. Where can I recycle coffee pods is a commonly asked question, and it’s not hard to see why – these little things do take up a lot of space. Let’s look into the problem in detail…
Where Can I Recycle Coffee Pods?
In this day and age, with the focus firmly on reducing our carbon footprint and demands on the planet, recycling facilities are widely available.
The sudden boom in coffee pods took some of the world by surprise, and for a while it was difficult to recycle coffee pods.
This was partly to do with the fact that many were made from plastic AND aluminium, which was difficult to separate, and many ended up in household bins.
However, we have now caught up with the times and are much better able to recycle coffee pods!
One thing to remember is that some pods are made of a mixture of materials – plastic, aluminium and coffee – so it is important to separate them for recycling.
This does not take long, and it is something that is essential for the health of the planet, so if you are enjoying your coffee then make sure you do this!
Many coffee pods are still able to be simply put into your kerbside recycling collections, but you can recycle them separately at a wide variety of places.
If your pods are made from one material – generally plastic or aluminium – then it is easy to separate them into recycling spots at your local centre.
However, some are only able to be recycled by specialist companies – the leading pod manufacturers have set up collection schemes to recycle your pods.
Can You Put Coffee Pods In Recycling Bin?
You can, of course, recycle coffee pods. If this was not an option, most consumers wouldn’t buy them in this day and age!
The problem arises when people simply throw the whole pod into the recycling – in most cases, it has to be sorted through first.
Coffee pods generally come in 4 parts:
- Plastic
- Aluminium
- Paper filter
- Coffee grounds
Obviously, all these components are different, and they need to be recycled in different places.
You can use the coffee grounds on your garden – they are excellent for the soil and for plants, and they are also good at keeping slugs and snails away.
The paper can be burnt on a little bonfire, or recycled in the paper section of your recycling collection.
The aluminium and plastic will have to be separated and put into different recycling places, as they cannot be recycled together.
How Do You Recycle Aluminium Coffee Pods UK
The great thing about the aluminium coffee pods is that they are pretty much JUST coffee and aluminium, no plastic included.
Once you have used your coffee pod and enjoyed the caffeine hit, simply dump out the coffee grounds either in your food waste bin or your own compost.
Next, simply pop the whole pod – lid and all – into your recycling collection bin. This is the most efficient and responsible way to recycle coffee pods.
Recycling aluminum is a fantastic thing to do; it requires much less energy and raw materials than creating the raw product.
Aluminium recycling prevents around 170 million tons of greenhouse gases entering the atmosphere, so it’s a really great thing to do!
Now you can enjoy your coffee even more – it tastes great, and you can be sure that you are doing the best for the environment too.
Here’s a nifty little video, showing you how you can “recycle” your coffee pods by simply refilling them with your favourite brand of coffee:
Why Can’t Coffee Pods Be Recycled?
This is actually a bit of a misleading question – coffee pods definitely CAN be recycled. The problem arises when people don’t do it properly!
Some coffee pods contain a mixture of materials, such as aluminium and plastic, and as such many people just don’t bother.
For the sake of the environment, we really have to take those few extra minutes to recycle correctly!
This really doesn’t take too much effort; simply separating the different parts of each coffee pod for recycling will help the planet enormously.
When coffee pods first appeared on the scene, there were not so many facilities for recycling them as there are now – nowadays there really is no excuse!
From putting them in your kerbside collection to using specialist companies that take away your used pods, there are a great many options for recycling your used coffee pods.
Are Used Coffee Pods Good For The Garden?
In short, yes they are! Used coffee grounds have a great many uses in the garden, and you would be surprised at how much your plants love them.
Coffee grounds are excellent deterrents for slugs and snails; simply scatter them around the base of your plants and you should find much less damage.
Coffee grounds are great at adding nitrogen, something that is essential for good plant growth, to the soil.
Many plants will really benefit from the addition of coffee grounds into their environment – give it a try!
You can also compost the paper part of your coffee pods, either by adding them to the compost to decompose and add organic material, or as a layer of mulch.
Here’s a little article explaining about organic matter, and how and why coffee is so good for your plants.
Final Thoughts
As we all know, reducing our impact on the planet is absolutely essential – this means being responsible for our waste, and recycling it wherever possible.
Now that you have a better idea on where and how to recycle your coffee pods, you can enjoy your coffee without the lingering taste of guilt.
