Nespresso expands aluminum capsule recycling program to Saskatchewan

Nespresso Canada has launched its Green Bag aluminum capsule recycling program in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The company says Nespresso Club Members residing in Saskatoon will have access to this program through a partnership with Loraas Disposal North and Cosmopolitan Industries. Loraas is a local company that provides waste, recycling and organics services to residential and commercial customers in Saskatoon.

According to a news release from Nespresso, this new agreement is the company’s first in Saskatchewan. Nespresso says more than 500 municipalities in Quebec participate in its Green Bag program, with Saskatoon being the first in Saskatchewan. The company adds that this program helps municipalities to meet sustainability targets.

“Since the beginning of 2020, approximately 100 new municipalities have been able to take advantage of this recycling solution, one step closer to our goal of expanding the Green Bag program across Canada. Nespresso’s recycling program is part of the concept of expanded producer responsibility while allowing us to reduce the environmental footprint of our operations,” says Julie Pomerleau, vice president of marketing at Nespresso Canada.

The Green Bag solution allows people to place their used aluminum Nespresso capsules in a fully recyclable green bag and then place those bags in their recycling bins at home. Nespresso says once those bags arrive at a sorting center, they are sent to a Nespresso partner for a mechanical process to separate the coffee grounds from the aluminum. The aluminum is recycled, and coffee grounds are transformed into a high-quality compost, used in agriculture by farmers and in landscaping, according to the company.

In addition, Nespresso Club Members in Saskatoon can return black recycling bags to boutiques and participating retail partners and red prepaid-postage recycling bags through Canada Post. Residents can find out which recycling solution is available to them at Nespresso.com/recycle-Nespresso.

"Our commitment to sustainability began decades ago and will continue to be at the forefront of Loraas' business,” says Aaron Beres, general manager of Loraas Disposal North. “Nespresso bringing this Green Bag initiative forward in Saskatoon highlights their confidence in our collective commitment to sustainability.”

Last year, Nespresso announced that it will use more capsules made from 80 percent recycled aluminum and new packaging incorporating 95 percent recycled material as well as fully recyclable material for its machines. Nespresso also made a global commitment that “every cup of Nespresso coffee, both at home and in the office, will be carbon neutral by 2022.”