Nespresso, the pioneer and reference for premium portioned coffee, has announced a significant investment in recycling infrastructure for Westchester County’s Refuse Disposal District. Effective immediately, all residents in the Refuse District can now recycle used Nespresso capsules and other small, non-ferrous aluminium items directly in their at-home curbside recycling bins, alongside their regular metal, glass, carton, and plastic recyclables.

The program will directly support more than 900,000 local residents, offering them another convenient and simple way to recycle. Small format aluminium materials are processed locally at the Department of Environmental Facilities (DEF) Material Recovery Facility, which allows the District to divert additional material from the waste stream, conserve natural resources, and continue to make recycling easy for residents. This initiative aims to connect both sides of the recycling journey by supporting material collection as well as growing recycled aluminium demand, with organisations such as the International Aluminium Institute leading the way. By supporting both recovery and material market developments, it keeps the aluminium in use longer and reinforces the value of recycling.  

“Expanding our curbside recycling program to Westchester marks a significant step forward for recycling infrastructure,” said Melania Luna, Vice President of Operations, Nespresso USA. “For over 30 years, Nespresso has been committed to making recycling easy for our customers. Thanks to our partners, Westchester County, Glass Packaging Institute, and the US Aluminium Association, we’re thrilled that our capsules and other small metals can now be properly captured and given a second life. Through collaborations like this, we create a pathway not only for our products but for the entire industry to advance recycling solutions.”

Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkin said: “Westchester County is proud to work with partners like Nespresso and the Glass Packaging Institute to make recycling more accessible for our residents. Expanding curbside recycling to include Nespresso capsules and other small, non-ferrous aluminium items helps capture more valuable resources and keep additional waste out of landfills. This collaboration is another example of how public and private partners can work together to make sustainability easier for our communities.”

“Smaller recyclable metals, plastics, and paper are often lost at the initial sort and end up in the glass recycling material, said Scott DeFife, president of the Glass Packaging Institute. “Investments in equipment, with support from Nespresso and partner communities like Westchester County, help to effectively recover and recycle smaller materials in their proper place,” said DeFife. This unrivaled cross-industry partnership is critical to improve recycling.

Marlen Bertram, Director Scenarios and Forecasts, International Aluminium Institute said: “Aluminium can be recycled endlessly, yet close to 8 million metric tons go uncollected worldwide every year, 58% of it from packaging. That is a serious loss of a critical raw material our economies depend on. This project proves what is possible when we work with customers, collaborate across materials, and partner with countries and communities: we can recover far more scrap and return it to the circular economy. That is an opportunity we cannot afford to miss.”

This initiative in Westchester is the latest in Nespresso’s long-standing effort to increase the recycling of its aluminium capsules. The program builds on the success of similar curbside programs the company has supported in New York City and Jersey City, retail drop-off partnerships, and dedicated At Home Pickup recycling services launched in select cities.

Our commitment extends beyond our capsules. One of the ways we help boost the circular economy is through including the demand of recycled material in our capsules. The other is helping develop and fund systems that sort materials, which are not being sorted broadly today. All Nespresso Original capsules are made from 80% recycled aluminium, and 88% of Nespresso Vertuo capsules are made of 85% recycled aluminium content. This is part of a global effort to continuously expand convenient and accessible recycling options for customers everywhere.

Nespresso consumers across the U.S. have multiple options to conveniently recycle their used coffee capsules. In addition to growing curbside and At Home Pickup options, Nespresso coffee drinkers can bring their used capsules to over 100,000 collection points nation-wide, including Nespresso boutiques and select retailers, or use a pre-paid mailer to send them back to Nespresso recycling partners at no cost.