Swiss food giant Nestlé’s Nespresso coffee business has partnered on a new US recycling initiative aimed at improving the recovery of aluminium packaging, with one executive highlighting the importance of aligning alloys so capsules and beverage cans can move through recycling systems together.
Nespresso USA has invested about USD400,000 in an eddy current separator (ECS) at the Department of Environmental Facilities (DEF) Material Recovery Facility (MRF) in Westchester, Yonkers, New York.
The ECS, which sorts nonferrous metals, sits after the glass breaker in the MRF and captures small aluminium items that previously could be lost in the recycling process or contaminate the glass stream.
The investment means residents across the refuse district can recycle used Nespresso capsules and other small, non-ferrous aluminium items through their at-home curbside recycling bins, alongside regular metal, glass, carton and plastic recyclables.
The programme will support more than 900,000 residents, with the aim of replicating it in other municipalities.
The Canmaker attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the DEF site in Westchester, which was also attended by representatives from the International Aluminium Institute and the US Aluminum Association.
Speaking to The Canmaker ahead of the ceremony, Melania Luna, vice president of operations at Nespresso USA, highlighted the importance of aligning alloys and formats so capsules, beverage cans and other aluminium packaging can be processed together.
“The alloy that a soda can uses is 3000-series. We used to be at 8000-series, and then our packaging was redone to go down to 3000, so that they could be picked up with soda cans,” she explained.
“This is proof of concept, but if we can get more companies to come in and contribute, we can get a unified format of alloy, so that there are higher levels of recycling.”
Luna said the differences between aluminium alloys also creates confusion for consumers.
“If you’re thinking about it from a consumer perspective, to know the intricacies of aluminium, it is very confusing. Because a can is a can.
“When we’re asking people to recycle, we need to keep it super simple.
“There is a responsibility from each company to come together and say, ‘how do we create uniformity in the products that we’re producing so that they’re easier to recycle?’ But not only that, to ensure that we’re also part of the solution and streamlining it.”
While Luna said a future capsule-to-capsule recycling loop is desirable, its feasibility and timeline remain unresolved.
“That’s the goal. The capsules can continue to have a second life, we have had second life programmes where we’ve used our capsules in different ways: pens and bicycles. So, the goal is to give it a second life, we do see a path towards that.”
Luna also emphasised the importance of greater consistency in packaging materials and formats as essential to circularity, calling for greater industry alignment. When packaging design varies widely across the industry, recyclers face more complexity in sorting and processing materials, which can reduce recovery rates, she said.
Speaking during the ribbon cutting ceremony, US Aluminum Association sustainability director Nadya Ally said the US aluminium industry supports nearly 900,000 jobs and supports more than USD326 billion in economic output.
“That makes recycling a pretty big deal,” she told the audience. “In fact, today recycled aluminium makes up more than 80% of US aluminium production. So when we recover something as small, as seemingly small, as a Nespresso coffee capsule, we’re not just keeping waste out of the landfill, we’re conserving energy, recovering valuable American resources, and giving that material another life.
“Although this event is a great representation of the progress being made, we still have a lot more opportunities. More than USD1 billion-worth of aluminium beverage cans, for example, are sent to landfills every year in the United States.
“That’s why projects like this matter. They make it easier for people to recycle. They help us capture more aluminium, and they ultimately help keep more of that valuable material circulating in the economy.”
