Coffee Brands Come Together To Collect And Recycle Capsules – CoffeeTalk

The Industrial and Commercial Coffee Association (AICC) and six associated companies have formed RECAPS, a society that aims to collect and recycle coffee capsules. The initiative has already been implemented in 15 municipalities across Portugal, with around 200 capsules distributed across them. The collection and recycling flow of coffee capsules is not mandatory by law, but the sector is environmentally concerned and wants to contribute to Portugal achieving better recycling targets and reducing waste in landfills.

RECAPS is based on a model similar to traditional ecopoints, where success depends on joint collaboration between consumers, municipalities, and recycling companies. Consumers are challenged to deposit used coffee capsules in collection points designated as ecocenters or ‘capsulons’ set up by local authorities. Municipalities ensure the availability and placement of capsule collection points for subsequent sending for treatment, while recycling companies ensure the collection of capsules and their forwarding to specialized recycling facilities.

The collection process is carried out individually by each municipality through various collection points. The collected capsules are stored at a municipal waste company or in the municipality itself and then collected by the RECAPS partner recycler who separates the waste (sludge, plastic, and aluminium). The location of capsule collection points is defined by the municipalities and takes advantage of existing recycling points (mobile or fixed), optimizing already tested collection and transport circuits.

Currently, the system is implemented in 13 municipalities and has around 200 collection points, including fixed recycling points and furniture and capsules. The separation of materials from the collected capsules will be carried out by specialized recycling entities, such as Bio4plás and Saica, who are responsible for separating the three main components of the capsules: plastic, aluminium, and coffee grounds. The separation process begins with the removal of coffee grounds, which can be used for composting or as an agricultural additive. Aluminum and plastic are separated and sent for recycling, where they are transformed into new products, while plastic can be reused in urban furniture production. Aluminium can be recycled to create new items such as the metal structure of the French press coffee maker.

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