The Yorkshire authority will work with Podback to roll out a new scheme at household waste recycling centres.
Coffee, tea or hot chocolate pods from a range of brands are eligible, with the public asked to simply drop the used items into a special collection container loose, and intact. These will then be distributed to processing sites across the UK.
Any coffee residue or leftover grounds will be treated through anaerobic digestion within the local area and other Yorkshire locations, and contribute to biogas and soil improver production.
‘We are really excited to start the new year by working with Podback to recycle coffee pods at our household waste recycling centres,’ said Leeds City Council Executive Member for Climate, Energy, Environment and Green Space, Cllr Mohammed Rafique. ‘The timing is ideal, as people may have received a coffee-maker as a gift for Christmas, so now they can recycle the pods easily and help the environment at the same time.’
Podback Executive Director, Rick Hindley, added: ‘It’s great to be able to expand the Podback service by trialling it at three of Leeds City Council’s recycling centres. We want to make coffee pod recycling as easy as possible, and this new service enables residents to drop off pods when convenient, alongside other recyclables, and helping to reduce waste and increase recycling.’
Although a number of studies have highlighted that coffee pods may have a lower environmental impact than originally believed – and the production of coffee beans still accounts for the vast majority of emissions associated with the drink – the containers continue to contribute to plastic waste. According to Aeropress, one-third of households in the UK current use an espresso machine that runs on the single use vessels.
Image: Jisu Han / Unsplash
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