It’s estimated we drink 98 million cups of coffee per day, and for many of us these will be made from coffee pods.
However, dry mixed recycling experts at Bins.co.uk are urging businesses to reconsider as new research reveals approximately 9.2 billion pods could be binned every year. That’s 292 every second in the UK alone.
How many are used and thrown away
Studies from 2016 estimated 48 billion coffee pods were sold globally; if we apply the 6.2% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) forecast for the global coffee pod market, this could mean as many as 82.5 billion were sold in 2025.
As the UK accounts for around 11% of the global coffee pod market by value, we can estimate that 9.2 billion coffee pods are used every year in the UK.
There is currently no publicly available UK-wide recycling rate for coffee pods. Unlike mainstream packaging such as cans, bottles and paper, coffee pods require specialist recycling schemes; therefore, many used pods are likely still being disposed of through general waste collections and ending up in landfill.
Why is this an issue?
Coffee pod usage is widespread, from consumers at home to businesses like offices and hotels providing for guests, or the service and retail industry offering complimentary coffees to customers.
However, many users don’t consider the environmental impacts of choosing coffee pods.
Material loss: as many coffee pods are made from materials like plastic or aluminium, these materials become lost when the pods are not recycled. Also, both materials take significant resources and energy to produce.
Landfill: if pods are thrown into general waste, they’re likely to end up in landfill or be sent to incineration, with the aluminium or plastic shell taking years to decompose. Alongside this, any coffee grounds within the pods will generate methane as they decompose.
Lost organic potential: used coffee grounds can be composted or sent for anaerobic digestion to produce renewable energy or nutrient-rich compost. Any placed in general waste are unlikely to be recovered for this use.
What material could be retrieved and what’s the value of this?
With each coffee pod weighing approximately 12g, an estimated 110,400 tonnes of coffee capsule waste could be generated in the UK each year.
A typical coffee pod contains coffee grounds, a capsule shell, a sealed lid, a filter and small components such as films or adhesives. Capsule shells are usually made from either plastic (e.g. Tassimo) or aluminium (e.g. Nespresso).
Studies indicate that the capsule shell typically weighs around 1g, regardless of whether it is made from aluminium or plastic. As there is no publicly available data showing the UK market share of different pod types, the estimates below model a range of possible aluminium and plastic mixes.
Aluminium share | Aluminium waste per year | Plastic waste per year | |
Low aluminium | 25% | 2,300 tonnes | 6,900 tonnes |
Mid estimate | 50% | 4,600 tonnes | 4,600 tonnes |
High aluminium | 75% | 6,900 tonnes | 2,300 tonnes |
At the higher end, if 75% of all capsules bought were aluminium, this could mean 6,900 tonnes of the metal is going to waste each year. That’s equivalent to £13 million worth of aluminium in today’s market values. However, as used coffee capsules require collection, separation and cleaning before the aluminium can be recovered, the recoverable economic value would be lower.
Aside from the reusable materials that are going to waste, coffee pod disposal also results in around 55.2 billion grams of coffee being disposed of.
What can businesses and consumers do?
Swap out pods for more eco-friendly alternatives. Compostable coffee pods now exist and are generally a better alternative to plastic or aluminium; however, many pods labelled “compostable” are only certified for industrial composting, so it’s important to check the limitations. Instead, you can consider swapping out pods altogether; there are plenty of more environmentally friendly options such as bean-to-cup machines, French press, or even coffee bags
Make use of reusable/refillable pods. Some retailers now stock refillable pod options, which help to cut down on the single-use nature of normal pods.
Use recycling schemes. There are now several pod recycling schemes across the UK, via brands themselves, Podback, and even some local councils.
Use a pod recycler. Kitchen tools now exist that allow you to separate the coffee grounds from the shell of the pod. This can enable better recycling, but it’s a manual task, and you’ll need to check if your council or waste management provider accepts empty, clean shells.
Mark Hall, Dry Mixed Recycling expert at Bins.co.uk comments: “The design of coffee pods is inherently problematic, as they are intended to be single-use. While many people don’t consider what materials are used to create the pods, binning them wastes valuable resources. Given the huge scale of pods sold and used every day, this quickly adds up.
“For larger businesses like hotels or retailers, it really is worth considering more eco-friendly alternatives, and educating guests as to why you have selected that option can enhance your reputation.”
