Over 35 tonnes of coffee pods have been recycled at the county’s nine household recycling centres in the last year, which, if placed end to end, would be enough to nearly cross the width of the county twice.
In June 2024 Cambridgeshire County Council partnered with Podback and began offering coffee pod recycling at its household waste recycling centres to help increase recycling locally and reduce waste.
Podback recycles coffee pods in the UK, to reduce waste and saving on new materials. Collected pods are shredded and cleaned of coffee. The shredded pods can be made into new products, while the coffee grounds are used to help create renewable energy and soil improver.
Local residents are encouraged to bring their pods to any of the household waste recycling centres and tip them loose into the dedicated containers at the centres.
Councillor Ros Hathorn, Chair of the Environment and Green Investment Committee at Cambridgeshire County Council, said: “Recycling over 35 tonnes of coffee pods is an amazing achievement from local residents which helps divert waste from landfill and helps support recycling. I’d encourage anyone who uses coffee pods to separate them from their household waste after use and take them to their nearest household recycling centre.
“This scheme demonstrates how we are supporting local communities to reduce waste and live more sustainably. And even though coffee pods may seem so small, recycling them properly can have a big environmental impact.”
There are nine Household Recycling Centres across Cambridgeshire, run by Thalia on behalf of the County Council, with locations in Alconbury, Bluntisham, March, Milton, St Neots, Thriplow, Whittlesey, Wisbech and Witchford.
For more about what can be recycled at the sites, go to https://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/residents/waste-and-recycling/household-recycling-centres/what-can-i-take-to-a-household-recycling-centre
