UK supermarket chain Aldi announced this week that it will become the first supermarket to participate in the Podback aluminium coffee pod recycling program.
Aldi will deploy its own-label pods into the Podback program, which is a first for the industry. The grocer will also promote the aluminium coffee pod recycling program to its customers who will be able to obtain recycling bags from the company and deposited at one of over 6,500 collection points. Alternatively, customers may register for curbside pickup of the recycling bags in certain areas of the country.
The Podback program was established by Nestle and Jacobs Douwe Egberts UK and launched last year as the UK’s first aluminium coffee pod recycling program. Currently sixteen coffee brands participate in the recycling program.
Aluminium harvested from the recycling program is processed in the UK and reused as aluminium beverage cans or utilized to produce lightweight automotive components. Meanwhile, the coffee grounds are processed via anaerobic digestion and transformed into biogas and fertilizer.
Richard Gorman, Plastics and Packaging Director at Aldi, said in a press release that his firm is happy to help its customers act in an environmentally responsible way.
“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, noted the importance of Aldi’s membership in the program.
“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.”
Aldi operates almost a thousand stores in the United Kingdom with a workforce of about 40 thousand workers.