4 ms·

We like them because you can make one or two cups without wasting a lot of coffee or water. And unlike other brands, Nespresso pods are made of aluminum, so th

We like them because you can make one or two cups without wasting a lot of coffee or water. And unlike other brands, Nespresso pods are made of aluminum, so they can be recycled. In the US, when you order the pods or pick them up in a Nespresso shop, you get a UPS mailer bag. When you use a pod, drop it in the bag. When the bag is full, seal the bag and drop it in a UPS mailbox to recycle the pods with Nespresso. That's something I can't do with the bags from the coffee beans I get in stores here. This article makes a big deal out of the fact that people don't recycle their pods. I'm not sure why that's Nespresso's fault. At least in the US, it's pretty damn painless.

TonyTrapp 6y ago
> We like them because you can make one or two cups without wasting a lot of coffee or water. So just like a regular espresso machine. You put espresso powder for one or two cups in the portafilter, put some water in the tank, done. Tank doesn't need to be filled completely, but you can just keep the water in there for the next espresso. No waste created, and you can even reuse the powder as fertilizer.
- lostlogin 6y ago
  > You put espresso powder for one or two cups in the portafilter It took me way too long to realise you mean coffee.
GordonS 6y ago
> When you use a pod, drop it in the bag. When the bag is full, seal the bag and drop it in a UPS mailbox to recycle the pods with Nespresso. Hmm, I'm curious about how many pods fill the bag; just wondering about the efficiency/waste of individuals mailing a small bag of aluminium potentially thousands of miles. I can't help but wonder if this system is little more than a platitude from Nespresso to make people feel like they aren't being wasteful. (I don't mean this as an attack on your choice to use a Nespresso machine - I'm just musing about the recycling system you described)
- welearnednothng 6y ago
  I’ve never counted, but based on how many pods I’ve used and how many bags I’ve recycled, I’d have to guess around 100. Maybe more? I actually take my bag to the Nespresso store, so while it’s a fair point to raise about the overall efficiency of the recycling, I have to imagine the store is doing bulk shipments of pods off to the recycling plant which would help a bit. I received my machine as a gift. I probably wouldn’t have kept it if it weren’t for their recycling program (it’s also not my main method for making coffee) - but you're right, it might just be platitudes. It’s worth noting their recycling program also composts the used grounds.
esperent 6y ago
Less than 30% get recycled. And the problem is all brands of coffee pods, not just nestle. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-16/most-nespresso-coffee-pods-not-being-recycled/11708910 https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-16/most-nespresso-coffee...

TonyTrapp 6y ago

> We like them because you can make one or two cups without wasting a lot of coffee or water. So just like a regular espresso machine. You put espresso powder for one or two cups in the portafilter, put some water in the tank, done. Tank doesn't need to be filled completely, but you can just keep the water in there for the next espresso. No waste created, and you can even reuse the powder as fertilizer.

lostlogin 6y ago
> You put espresso powder for one or two cups in the portafilter It took me way too long to realise you mean coffee.

GordonS 6y ago

> When you use a pod, drop it in the bag. When the bag is full, seal the bag and drop it in a UPS mailbox to recycle the pods with Nespresso. Hmm, I'm curious about how many pods fill the bag; just wondering about the efficiency/waste of individuals mailing a small bag of aluminium potentially thousands of miles. I can't help but wonder if this system is little more than a platitude from Nespresso to make people feel like they aren't being wasteful. (I don't mean this as an attack on your choice to use a Nespresso machine - I'm just musing about the recycling system you described)

welearnednothng 6y ago
I’ve never counted, but based on how many pods I’ve used and how many bags I’ve recycled, I’d have to guess around 100. Maybe more? I actually take my bag to the Nespresso store, so while it’s a fair point to raise about the overall efficiency of the recycling, I have to imagine the store is doing bulk shipments of pods off to the recycling plant which would help a bit. I received my machine as a gift. I probably wouldn’t have kept it if it weren’t for their recycling program (it’s also not my main method for making coffee) - but you're right, it might just be platitudes. It’s worth noting their recycling program also composts the used grounds.

esperent 6y ago

Less than 30% get recycled. And the problem is all brands of coffee pods, not just nestle. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-16/most-nespresso-coffee-pods-not-being-recycled/11708910 https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-16/most-nespresso-coffee...