Essex County Council has partnered with Podback

27 September 2024

Two large, grey containers each with a rectangular sign above them. The white sign on the left says, “Recycle with Podback, The Pod Recycling Service: Aluminium Coffee Pods”. The turquoise sign on the right says, “Recycle with Podback, The Pod Recycling Service: Plastic Coffee Pods”.

In an exciting new partnership, Essex County Council has teamed up with Podback, a not-for-profit coffee pod recycling service, to offer residents a convenient way to recycle their used coffee, tea, and hot chocolate pods.

Starting this September, designated Podback containers will be introduced across recycling centres in Essex. Residents are encouraged to bring their used pods in a reusable bag or container and empty the loose plastic and aluminium pods into the clearly signed Podback containers for each material. You don’t even need to clean the pods prior to dropping them off!

This partnership aims to tackle the challenge of recycling these often difficult-to-recycle items, ensuring that the pods can be recycled instead of being placed into general rubbish, contributing to a more sustainable future for Essex.

Once deposited, the collected pods are sent to specialized recycling facilities where the grounds are collected and sent to a local anaerobic digestion facility. The plastic and aluminium are separated and processed in the UK so that they can be transformed into new products.

This initiative is part of Essex County Council’s broader efforts to enhance recycling services and support sustainable practices within the community in line with the new Waste Strategy for Essex. By providing residents with an accessible recycling option for their used coffee pods, the council hopes to increase recycling rates and reduce the number of pods going into the general rubbish.

Follow us on social media or sign up to our newsletter for further updates on the rollout of the new Podback containers and for more information on how Essex County Council is working towards a circular economy in the county.

This service is not currently available at Canvey, Pitsea and Rayleigh recycling centres. It will be introduced at Burnham and Harlow recycling centres in early October.