The coffee industry is awash with “compostable" capsules but at Mozzo, we are yet to find one we rate. So we ask the question: Are coffee pods truly compostable? Or, how can coffee roasters still guarantee a high-quality brew every time using compostable pods? Trust us, as innovative coffee roasters we’ve tried.
Compostable pods are something that we've looked into extensively for our Nespresso® compatible coffee pods. And, whilst there's an abundance of innovative packaging materials available, we’ve learned that "compostable" pods are not as compostable as we think they might be.
The problem with compostable coffee pods
Currently, most compostable packaging produced for coffee pods cannot be composted at home as they only degrade in industrial composting facilities in specific industrial conditions, which isn’t accessible through most home waste collection services.
In addition, many coffee drinkers need clarification about how to dispose of compostable pods, particularly if there is no compostable waste bin available, (approximately only 3% of people in the UK do have one). The problem is people are contaminating dry recycling by disposing of coffee pods in general recycling.
Finally, most compostable capsules do not have the oxygen barrier protection needed to keep coffee fresh, meaning that when compostable pods reach your door, they will not taste as fresh as they could.
Sustainability is at the top of our minds, so whilst our packaging research continues into the best compostable pod packaging, we are proud to serve our coffee in 100% recyclable coffee pods and offer our own free capsule recycling collection scheme.
Our 100% aluminum recyclable coffee pods
As well as providing by far the best oxygen barrier and therefore the freshest possible coffee experience, our 100% aluminium capsules are fully recyclable via our own closed-loop coffee pod recycling scheme.
Every element of our capsule is recycled! The aluminium is turned into new items (aluminium can be recycled forever, at 5% of the energy used to originally create it, and never lose its quality). The leftover coffee is reused in products like compost or fuel and the plastic recycling bags are turned from waste-to-energy.
How our free capsule recycling scheme works
1. Grab yourself one of our free capsule recycling bags when making your coffee order.
2. Enjoy your coffee and the ease of simply popping your used capsules in the recycling bag. There is no need to scoop or rinse out.
3. When the bag is filled to the indicated line, simply request a free collection with your next Mozzo capsule order. We’ll pick them up from your doorstep. Easy peasy.
Sources:
https://www.businesswaste.co.uk/
https://www.powersystemsuk.co.uk/
https://alupro.org.uk
