ALDI customers are set to be able to recycle their used coffee, tea, and hot chocolate pods after the supermarket became a member of the Podback recycling scheme.
As part of its membership, Aldi will introduce its own-label pods into the Podback scheme in an ‘industry first’, whilst also helping to promote the free recycling service to shoppers.
From early next year, Aldi customers can visit the Podback website to either order recycling bags – which can be filled and taken to one of 6,500 Collect+ drop off points – or register for kerbside collections if they live in a participating local authority area.
Podback launched last year and is the first coffee pod recycling service of its kind in the UK. It was set up by Nestlé and Jacobs Douwe Egberts UK and membership has since grown to include 16 brands from across the coffee sector.
Pods recycled through Podback are reprocessed within the UK, with recycled aluminium pods used in the manufacture of beverage cans and car components, whilst plastic coffee pods are turned into items such as furniture, industrial packaging, and building products. The used coffee grounds also go through anaerobic digestion to produce a combination of biogas and soil improver.
Richard Gorman, plastics and packaging director at Aldi, said, “We’re pleased to be joining Podback on this journey – especially as the first supermarket member. It’s important to us that we help customers do the right thing once our hot drink pods have been used, and we look forward to seeing how our partnership with Podback progresses.”
Rick Hindley, executive director at Podback, added, “We are delighted to welcome Aldi as the first supermarket brand member of Podback. This marks a key milestone for the programme and we are looking forward to working with Aldi to promote our service to their customers. We hope other retailers will follow Aldi’s lead and offer their own-brand pod customers the opportunity to recycle through Podback.”
