4 ms·

I would be on board with these if it wasn't for their terrible environmental impact. I'd be interested in an analysis on that - but until these capsules can bas

I would be on board with these if it wasn't for their terrible environmental impact. I'd be interested in an analysis on that - but until these capsules can basically compost I'll be sticking to loose grounds thank you.

eps 11y ago
They are compost only if you put them there. Nespresso has a pod recycling program in place as does pretty much every developed country (not for pods, of course, but the aluminum).
- austinjp 11y ago
  While this is true, it's worth noting that recycling is not the preferred step in eco consumerism. Refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle, compost. Nespresso pods cannot be reused, unless someone has hacked a kludge for that, and I doubt the recycling process composts the grounds (more info on that would be great). Extracting aluminium from its ore is hugely energy-consuming. So the most sensible thing to do is simply not use Nespresso, and avoid contributing to the aluminium problem. There are Nespresso-compatible pods made by third parties, but they tend to be plastic. I'm unconvinced that these can be effectively recycled. FWIW, before my landlord bought a fancy-pants bean grinding espresso machine, I'd use a stove-top espresso maker. A mokka/mukka, spelling varies. 3 mins to make a perfect espresso from grounds, and I could compost the grounds.
  - Kalium 11y ago
    The kludge to re-use Nespresso pods has been hacked.
  - dpark 11y ago
    In the US, at least, Nespresso's recycling program extract the aluminum and composts the grounds. http://www.nespresso.com/ecolaboration/us/en/article/9/3068/collecting-and-recycling-used-capsules-in-the-usa.html http://www.nespresso.com/ecolaboration/us/en/article/9/3068/... Also, a Moka pot is definitely not the same. I like what comes out of a Moka pot if it's brewed well, but it isn't really espresso.
masklinn 11y ago
> I would be on board with these if it wasn't for their terrible environmental impact FWIW in europe you can drop the capsules for recycling or give them back to the courrier delivering new ones, by and large they're just aluminium and coffee grounds so they're pretty recyclable. IIRC nespresso has >80% used capsule collection in their home country of Switzerland and in neighbouring France (where nespresso is quite popular).
- saiya-jin 11y ago
  it's interesting that in these eco-friendly and health-consious times, nobody here cares much about pouring boiling water over Aluminimum to get a decent coffee... last time I checked it's not the healthiest compound to work with. anything new in that topic?
  - masklinn 11y ago
    I'm not aware of much specific risks from anodised aluminium cookware compared to plastics or other metals. The biggest risks of dissolution are acidic foods and wet food sitting in the pan, neither of which is an issue with coffee capsules. Furthermore, the WHO estimates that one can safely ingest up to 50mg of aluminium per day and the FDA hasn't even bothered setting an upper limit, cooking a whole meal in aluminium pans may leach 1~2mg of aluminium in the food. There are health risks to breathing aluminium dust, but most people aren't going to snort their coffee capsules.

eps 11y ago

They are compost only if you put them there. Nespresso has a pod recycling program in place as does pretty much every developed country (not for pods, of course, but the aluminum).

austinjp 11y ago
While this is true, it's worth noting that recycling is not the preferred step in eco consumerism. Refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle, compost. Nespresso pods cannot be reused, unless someone has hacked a kludge for that, and I doubt the recycling process composts the grounds (more info on that would be great). Extracting aluminium from its ore is hugely energy-consuming. So the most sensible thing to do is simply not use Nespresso, and avoid contributing to the aluminium problem. There are Nespresso-compatible pods made by third parties, but they tend to be plastic. I'm unconvinced that these can be effectively recycled. FWIW, before my landlord bought a fancy-pants bean grinding espresso machine, I'd use a stove-top espresso maker. A mokka/mukka, spelling varies. 3 mins to make a perfect espresso from grounds, and I could compost the grounds.
- Kalium 11y ago
  The kludge to re-use Nespresso pods has been hacked.
- dpark 11y ago
  In the US, at least, Nespresso's recycling program extract the aluminum and composts the grounds. http://www.nespresso.com/ecolaboration/us/en/article/9/3068/collecting-and-recycling-used-capsules-in-the-usa.html http://www.nespresso.com/ecolaboration/us/en/article/9/3068/... Also, a Moka pot is definitely not the same. I like what comes out of a Moka pot if it's brewed well, but it isn't really espresso.

masklinn 11y ago

> I would be on board with these if it wasn't for their terrible environmental impact FWIW in europe you can drop the capsules for recycling or give them back to the courrier delivering new ones, by and large they're just aluminium and coffee grounds so they're pretty recyclable. IIRC nespresso has >80% used capsule collection in their home country of Switzerland and in neighbouring France (where nespresso is quite popular).

saiya-jin 11y ago
it's interesting that in these eco-friendly and health-consious times, nobody here cares much about pouring boiling water over Aluminimum to get a decent coffee... last time I checked it's not the healthiest compound to work with. anything new in that topic?
- masklinn 11y ago
  I'm not aware of much specific risks from anodised aluminium cookware compared to plastics or other metals. The biggest risks of dissolution are acidic foods and wet food sitting in the pan, neither of which is an issue with coffee capsules. Furthermore, the WHO estimates that one can safely ingest up to 50mg of aluminium per day and the FDA hasn't even bothered setting an upper limit, cooking a whole meal in aluminium pans may leach 1~2mg of aluminium in the food. There are health risks to breathing aluminium dust, but most people aren't going to snort their coffee capsules.