Nespresso Commits $1.2 Million to Better Enable the Recycling of Aluminum Coffee Capsules through New York City Curbside Program
Commitment Maximizes Recovery of Other Lightweight Aluminum Items and Contributes to the City’s Zero Waste Initiative
March 4, 2019
New York, NY – Nespresso, the pioneer and reference for premium portioned coffee, the New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY), and Sims Municipal Recycling (SMR) announced today that Nespresso has made a $1.2 million commitment to better enable the recovery of its aluminum coffee capsules through New York City’s curbside recycling program. In addition to capsules, the commitment will allow SMR to better sort and capture lightweight aluminum, including foil and other mixed metals. This collaboration makes it possible for these items to be turned into new products.
“Nespresso is deeply committed to the circular use of our products, choosing aluminum packaging because it both protects the quality of our exceptional coffees and can be recycled and reused again and again,” said Guillaume Le Cunff, President and CEO of Nespresso USA. “This collaboration will provide New York City-based consumers with another convenient way to recycle used capsules and other aluminum products at home, allowing these items to be given many new lives.”
Nespresso has a continuous focus on developing innovative solutions to make recycling as simple and convenient as possible for consumers. Nespresso offers pre-paid UPS recycling bags in 48 states across the US so that consumers can mail back capsules to be recycled. The collaboration with DSNY and SMR will drive the Nespresso recycling efforts further and provide consumers with additional options.
The funding from Nespresso will assist SMR in investing in the additional technology that is required to improve the efficiency of its non-magnetic household metals recycling process, and help to reduce the amount of aluminum that ends up in landfill. The equipment will be operational starting fall 2019, and residents across the five boroughs in New York City will be encouraged to recycle their Nespresso capsules as part of their regular recycling routine.
Le Cunff continued, “This is an excellent example of how the public and private sectors can collaborate to develop solutions that have broad environmental impact and create shared value. New Yorkers are familiar with recycling aluminum cans, and we want to encourage people to also recycle a wider array of aluminum products that they use on a regular basis.”
Sims Municipal Recycling (SMR) is the cornerstone of the New York City curbside recycling program. SMR processes 100 percent of the metal, glass and plastic collected by the New York City Sanitation Department throughout the city’s five boroughs. Sims Municipal Recycling It’s not often that a materials recovery facility (MRF) is highlighted in the New York Times for its architectural design. But the MRF in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, co-owned (with New York City) and operated by new NERC Advisory Member Sims Municipal Recycling (SMR), received just such an accolade when it opened in 2013.
Sims Municipal Recycling Processes and markets more than 600,000 tonnes of municipal curbside material annually for NYC, Palm Beach County, and portions of New Jersey, Long Island and Chicago. Sims Municipal Recycling Of New York. Recycling Centers. Website (718) 965-1372. Brooklyn, NY 11215. SIMS Metal Management. Scrap Metals-Wholesale Junk.
The collaboration will support New York City’s Zero Waste initiative, which aims to contribute zero waste to landfill by 2030. A key component of the partnership will be to encourage New York City residents to recycle Nespresso capsules as well as the 43,000 tons of aluminum foil and other mixed metals that currently end up in landfill each year.
Steven Costas, Acting Commissioner at the New York City Department of Sanitation, stated, “New York City works to have as inclusive a recycling program as possible, and the New York City Department of Sanitation supports industry efforts to maximize recovery of recyclable items. We want to recycle all of your aluminum items, not just soda cans.”
“Sims Municipal Recycling’s role is to take the household recyclables that DSNY collects from New Yorkers and convert them into commodities or raw materials for manufacturers,” said Thomas Outerbridge, General Manager of Sims Municipal Recycling. “Nespresso has been extremely proactive in working with us to find an effective solution that is convenient for customers and that will allow us to direct the aluminum into productive reuse.”
The Nespresso Commitment to Recycling and the Circular Use of Aluminum
The Nespresso recycling program with UPS will continue to be available across the United States. Consumers can bring recycling bags to one of 88,000 UPS drop-off locations or 500 collection points at Nespresso Boutiques and select retailers across the country.
Once capsules are collected, they are sent to recycling businesses that work closely with Nespresso, who separate the aluminum from the coffee grounds to give them a second life. The coffee grounds can be turned into nutrient-rich compost and topsoil. The aluminum is processed and, ultimately, reused to create new products.
Globally, Nespresso has worked alongside a range of municipalities and businesses to invest in dedicated recycling initiatives that enable the convenient collection of used capsules. In 1991, in Switzerland, Nespresso helped to develop the first recycling system dedicated to Nespresso capsules. The company also helped to implement a municipal recycling program, similar to the New York City initiative, in Paris, France. Consumers in Germany, Sweden and Finland can also recycle their capsules in the same way they do other household packaging.
To learn more, visit: https://www.nespresso.com/us/en/services#!/recycling/capsules-recycling.
Contact Information
Carner Round
Weber Shandwick
347.260.1957
CRound@WeberShandwick.com
Belinda Mager
New York City Department of Sanitation
646.885.5020
BMager@dsny.nyc.gov
Réal Hamilton-Romeo
Sims Metal Management
212.500.7435
Real.HamiltonRomeo@Simsmm.com
About Nestlé Nespresso SA
Nestlé Nespresso SA is the pioneer and reference for highest-quality portioned coffee. The company works with more than 100,000 farmers in 13 countries through its AAA Sustainable Quality™ Program to embed sustainability practices on farms and the surrounding landscapes. Launched in 2003 in collaboration with The Rainforest Alliance, the program helps to improve the yield and quality of harvests, ensuring a sustainable supply of high quality coffee and improving livelihoods of farmers and their communities.
Headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, Nespresso operates in 80 countries and has 13,600 employees. In 2018, it operated a global retail network of approximately 800 boutiques. For more information, visit the Nespresso corporate website: www.nestle-nespresso.com.
About the New York City Department of Sanitation
The New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) keeps New York City healthy, safe and clean by collecting, recycling and disposing of waste, cleaning streets and vacant lots, and clearing snow and ice. The Department operates 59 district garages and manages a fleet of more than 2,000 rear-loading collection trucks, 450 mechanical brooms and 693 salt/sand spreaders. The Department clears litter, snow and ice from approximately 6,500 miles of City streets and removes debris from vacant lots as well as abandoned vehicles from City streets.
About Sims Municipal Recycling
Sims Municipal Recycling (SMR), an emerging leader in the municipal recycling industry, was established in 2003 as a division of Sims Metal Management, a global leader in metal and electronics recycling. Since its founding, SMR has quickly become a cornerstone of the New York City curbside recycling program. Through its long-term contract with the New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY), SMR processes and markets 100% of the metal, glass and plastic, and 50% of the paper collected by DSNY from all New Yorkers. SMR serves New York City through its facilities in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Jersey City, NJ. Please visit www.simsmunicipal.com for more information on SMR and its commitment to sustainability.
Sims Recycling Solutions Locations
About Sims Metal Management
Sims Municipal Recycling Brooklyn
Sims Metal Management is one of the world’s leading metal and electronics recyclers with more than 250 facilities, operations in 18 countries, and 5,000 employees globally. The Company’s ordinary shares are listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX: SGM) and its American Depositary Shares are quoted on the Over-the-Counter market in the United States (USOTC: SMSMY). As a responsible corporate citizen, we continuously seek new ways to broaden our participation in the environmental sector. For more information, visit simsmm.com.Sims Disposal
Sims Municipal Recycling (SMR) says that it will be playing an integral role in New York City’s 'Recycle Everything' campaign, which launched July 29, 2013. This new program is the largest expansion of New York City's recycling program in 25 years and is set to double the city's current recycling rate to 30 percent by 2017, the city says. SMR will process and marketing all of the city's metal, glass and plastic collected through the new and expanded recycling program.
'Our relationship with Sims has allowed city residents to recycle more types of plastics, making great strides in helping us meet the mayor's recycling goal,' says New York City Sanitation Commissioner John Doherty. 'We are thankful for this partnership and are looking forward to the future of a cleaner, greener New York City.'
Prior to the city’s expansion, the only plastics accepted were PET (polyethylene terephthalate) and HDPE (high-density polyethylene) bottles and jugs. However, SMR’s new material recovery facility (MRF), set to open by the fall of 2013 in Brooklyn, N.Y., will allow New York City to accept a wide range of rigid plastics, such as toys, hangers, crates, tubs and other food containers, as well.
'This initiative comes at a great time for us as we prepare to open our state-of-the-art recycling plant in Brooklyn,' says Tom Outerbridge, general manager for SMR. 'This new facility will bring approximately 75 new jobs to the area and will include an education center to teach children about the importance of recycling.'
(Tom Outerbridge will be one of the speakers at Recycling Today’s upcoming Paper Recycling Conference & Trade Show, to be held in Chicago Oct. 16-18. For information on the conference, visit www.paperrecyclingconference.com.)