A Simple Guide to Recycling Nespresso Pods

While Nespresso machines are convenient and easy to use, you can’t just throw your used pods in with your regular recycling. The pods are made of a unique plastic and aluminum component that most recycling plants can’t process. Luckily, Nespresso offers several free and simple methods to responsibly dispose of their products. Take your used pods to a collection point, Nespresso shop, or UPS store in a Nespresso recycling bag, or hand the bag to a delivery driver the next time you order a shipment. Keep on reading to learn how to recycle your pods and reuse them, too!

Nespresso Pod Recycling

Order a free Nespresso recycling bag. Place your used pods in the bag and bring it to a Nespresso collection point, boutique, or partner shop. Or, take the bag to a UPS store; each bag comes with a prepaid UPS label. Alternatively, give the bag to a delivery driver when they bring you new pods.

Method 1

Method 1 of 6:

Collecting Your Used Nespresso Pods

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Order a free Nespresso recycling bag with your next pod shipment. Nespresso offers free recycling bags for collecting your used pods. You can add 1 to 2 bags to your order each time you buy new coffee pods online.^{[1]
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- All Nespresso boutiques and many partner stores have recycling bags available for free. You cannot get them from a big-box retailer, though.
- If you live in New York City, simply place your used pods in your blue recycling bin. You do not have to put your pods in bags or take them anywhere for them to be recycled.^{[2]
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Note: Nespresso recycling bags are required for most recycling methods. Collection points, UPS stores, and some boutiques will not accept your pods if they aren’t in the bags, as the bags are recycled along with the pods.
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Fill your bag with used pods and close it when it’s full. Keep the bag near your Nespresso machine and toss the used pods in every time you make coffee. The bag can hold 200 original-sized capsules or 100 VertuoLine capsules. Once it’s filled, seal it at the top by pressing the plastic tabs together and folding it over at the top.^{[3]
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- There is only one size of recycling bag.
- You can include the aluminum tabs that peel off the top of the pods.
- Do not overfill your bag, or it may not be accepted for recycling.

Method 2

Method 2 of 6:

Taking Your Nespresso Pods to a Collection Point

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Drop your bag in the container or with an employee at a collection point. Use Nespresso’s recycling map to locate a nearby collection point. Some of the collection points are public bins that are sitting out in the lobby or entryway of a store, while others are held behind a customer service desk. Simply place your recycling bag in the container or leave it with a customer service clerk.^{[4]
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- A lot of collection points are in or near Nespresso retailers. This makes it easy to drop them off the next time you pick up some pods.
- Use the collection point search engine in the Nespresso app for Android or iOS to find a nearby location, too.
- The collection points are periodically collected by a Nespresso pickup service and taken to a special plant to be recycled.

Method 3

Method 3 of 6:

Dropping Nespresso Pods at a Boutique or Partner Store

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Find a nearby Nespresso store and hand your bag to an employee. Take your recycling bag of used pods to any Nespresso boutique and some other stores Nespresso partners with, like William Sonoma or Sur La Table. Simply use Nespresso’s store locator map to find a nearby store. Let the clerk behind the counter know that you have Nespresso pods to recycle and they will take them from you.^{[5]
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- The boutique drop-off service is different from the collection point program. The collection point program requires you to place the pods in a Nespresso recycling bag. Some boutiques might require the recycling bag, while others don’t.
- Note: Nespresso shops and partner stores typically have free bags on hand to put your pods in if you didn’t collect them in a recycling bag.
- After collecting your used pods, the store ships them to Nespresso for recycling.
- There is no charge for this service.
Note: If you want to take your Nespresso pods to a partner store, call ahead to make sure they accept used pods.

Method 4

Method 4 of 6:

Dropping Off Used Nespresso Pods at a UPS Store

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Bring your bag of used pods to a UPS drop-off location. Nespresso partners with UPS stores to ship used pods to their recycling centers; the recycling bags you order include a prepaid shipping label. Simply find a nearby UPS store using UPS’ store locator map. Then, place the bag in the UPS drop box, or hand it to a staff member inside the store.^{[6]
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- If you live in Alaska, Hawaii, or Puerto Rico, the UPS recycling program is not available to you at this time. Use another method to recycle your pods.^{[7]
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Note: You have to place your used Nespresso pods in the recycling bag to participate in the UPS recycling program. UPS will not accept your pods if they aren’t in the bag.

Method 5

Method 5 of 6:

Returning Nespresso Pods to the Delivery Driver

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Give your recycling bag to the driver when they bring your order. When the delivery driver arrives with your Nespresso order, tell them that you have a recycling bag filled with used pods. The delivery driver will take your bag and bring it back to the shipment center on their truck.^{[8]
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- There is no additional charge for giving your delivery driver a recycling bag to take back with them.
- Keep ordering recycling bags every time you buy new pods. This makes it easy to continue the recycling pickup process when your coffee gets delivered.

Method 6

Method 6 of 6:

Reusing Your Nespresso Pods

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Cut off the cap and wash the pod with soap and water. Use a knife or box cutter to carefully cut the aluminum foil cap off the pod. Then, gently tap the pod over your garbage can or compost bin to remove most of the coffee grounds. Clean out any leftover residue with dish soap and warm water.^{[9]
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- Dry your pod with a paper towel or cloth.
- Reuse your pods about 2 to 3 times. After 2 to 3 uses, reused pods typically lose their shape and won’t work in your machine.
- Warning: Do not harshly scrub the outside of the pods, as this can damage the barcode underneath the lip of the pod. Nespresso machines work by reading the barcode on the pod.
Note: You may notice that espresso made with reused pods tastes a little weaker than it normally would. This is normal, and nothing to worry about.
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Use scissors to cut a circular cover out of aluminum foil. Pull out a short length of aluminum foil. Then, place it over your pod and cut out a circle that fits over the pod. Just leave an extra 1–3 inches (2.5–7.6 cm) of aluminum foil hanging on each side of your pod.^{[10]
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- If it’s easier for you, cut out a square of aluminum foil and trim off the edges to make it a circle.
- Alternatively, use pre-cut aluminum foil lids. These are made to fit Nespresso pods and have an adhesive edge that you simply stick on the pod.
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Fill your pod with coffee grounds, leaving 1 mm of space at the top. Use a spoon to fill your pod with grounds so they’re about level with the top of the pod. Pat the grounds down with your thumb or spoon to compact them and increase the flavor of your espresso.^{[11]
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- Leave a small amount of space on top so the aluminum foil can be compacted into your coffee when it brews.
- If you leave too much space at the top, the aluminum foil may be pushed into the cup, sending grounds all over your Nespresso machine.
- Don’t compact the grounds if you don’t want a strong cup of coffee.
Center the aluminum foil over the top of your pod so a little bit sticks out past each side. Use your non-dominant hand to keep the foil in place as you use your other hand to wrap the foil under the lip. Then, pinch the foil against the underside of the brim to smooth it down and fix it permanently in place.^{[12]
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Use your refilled pod the same way that you would use a normal pod. Place your pod in your Nespresso machine and press the start button. The refilled pod functions the same way that a standard Nespresso pod does. When your coffee is done brewing, refill the pod again or place it in a Nespresso bag for recycling.^{[13]
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- If your aluminum foil falls off during the brewing process, use a wet paper towel or cloth to clean the inside of your machine.

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Nespresso pods are made out of aluminum, which makes them infinitely recyclable. When Nespresso receives your pods at their recycling centers, they remove the coffee grounds for composting. The aluminum gets melted down and made into new products, like cans and bike parts.^{[14]
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If you live outside of the US, Nespresso may partner with one of your country’s shipping services to send pods to their recycling centers. For instance, if you live in the UK, you can place your pods in the recycling bags and drop them off at Royal Mail locations.^{[15]
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Nespresso also provides a service for recycling old machines. Contact Nespresso’s customer service to receive a prepaid shipping label and send your machine to Nespresso.^{[16]
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