In an effort to make coffee pod recycling easier and accessible for the UK, Morrisons has announced a nationwide roll-out of dedicated coffee pod collection points in more than 350 stores nationwide in partnership with Podback, the pod recycling service. Roll out of the new recycling points will start in June.
Customers are already able to pick up free Podback recycling bags from Morrisons customer service desks. With the launch of the new in-store collection points, customers will also be able to drop off filled bags back in Morrisons stores as part of their regular shopping journey.
In 2022, Morrisons was the first supermarket to support Podback by offering free coffee pod recycling bags in stores. A trial of in-store collection points was introduced in 29 stores in July 2023. Initially planned to run for eight weeks, it was extended due to its popularity with customers, and whilst plans were developed for a national roll-out of the service. To the end of March this year, trial stores had collected over 42,300 kgs of pods, an average of 37 kg per store each week, equivalent to 2.8 million pods in total.
Zara Safdari, waste and sustainability manager at Morrisons, said: “Coffee pods have continued to grow in popularity over recent years, with many household brands now offering a variety of pods to brew fresh coffee in minutes at home. Picking up Podback bags while doing a supermarket shop and dropping them back, filled, on further shopping trips makes it easy for consumers to recycle their used coffee pods. We’re pleased to be extending this service to make it even easier for our customers who want barista style coffee at home to recycle their used pods.”
Rick Hindley, executive director at Podback, said: “We are delighted to be working with Morrisons to make Podback available across its national store network. The in-store drop-off trial proved an immediate success with recyclers, and the volume of pods collected through the trial has continued to grow month-on-month. Podback is committed to making pod recycling simple and convenient for lovers of pod coffee, and adding a national supermarket to our network of free recycling points is a major step forward towards our goal.”
Through the Podback scheme, used aluminium and plastic pods are recycled in the UK1. Aluminium is used in the manufacture of beverage cans and car components, and plastic is used in the manufacture of a range of items, including packaging crates and building products. The used coffee grounds are treated by anaerobic digestion to produce renewable energy (biogas) and soil improver.
