Why Nespresso's Capsules Are Made Of Aluminum Instead Of Plastic

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If you're one of the 42% of Americans that uses a single serve coffee maker, you'll be aware that when buying capsules you're faced with a dizzying array of options. And with an increasing number of brands on the market, capsules now come in all kinds of shapes, sizes, and materials. Keurig's K-Cups are made of plastic, companies including San Francisco Bay Coffee have created fully compostable coffee capsules, but Nespresso, among other brands, uses aluminum for its single serve pods.

According to Nespresso, the reason is two-fold. The first is that aluminum is an excellent way to keep food fresh. With an airtight seal, the aluminum capsule protects the grounds from oxygen, moisture and sunlight – all of which will degrade the taste and aroma of your coffee.

The second and perhaps most important reason is that aluminum can be recycled more efficiently than plastic. While plastic degrades each time it goes through the recycling process, aluminum can be recycled indefinitely without losing its core properties. Recycling aluminum requires just 5% of the energy it would take to create new aluminum products, making it more environmentally friendly as well as more cost efficient. As a result, it's estimated that around 75% of aluminum ever produced is still in use today in a recycled form.

The properties of aluminum make it an excellent choice on paper, but this comes with a caveat. While the capsules can be recycled, it doesn't mean that they will be. It's only in select locations, including New York City and some parts of Jersey City, that the used pods can be tossed into your regular curbside recycling. If you're not in one of these areas, you'll need to use Nespresso's recycling program.

If you order online from Nespresso, you can make use of a free prepaid recycling bag that you drop off at UPS. Alternatively, you can take your used capsules to any Nespresso store. While the company has worked hard to ensure that there are recycling options available to most customers, the success relies on consumer participation. Given that one of the most attractive elements of a single serve coffee maker is the convenience it offers, taking the extra step to recycle the capsules would seem for many to defeat the purpose.

Nespresso doesn't break down its figures by country, but globally, just 30% of capsules go through the recycling program. With an estimated 14 billion capsules sold each year, that's more than 9 billion that still end up in landfill. Nespresso has introduced compostable capsules made from paper pulp in some European markets, but they're currently not available in the US.