Skip to main content
< Back to sustainability notes
 08.05.2024

Coffee capsules, an environmental headache

Regrettably, the PCB does not have bins for the separate collection of coffee capsules because there are no providers on the market willing to take on their subsequent management.

Separating the components of the capsule, be it aluminium or plastic, from the coffee and their subsequent recycling is not economically viable and lacking in efficient techniques. Some retailers claim sustainability through the recycling of their capsules, but in reality it is a very inefficient, energy- and resource-intensive process.

Capsule coffee has quickly taken hold in our environment. Spain ranks third in the list of countries with the highest consumption of capsules, behind the USA and Italy, and the consequence is a high generation of waste that is difficult to break down.

In a consumerist society where waste production is far from decreasing, we must avoid non-essential activities that produce waste.

We at the PCB encourage you to consume your coffee using classic coffee machines that do not require single-dose capsules. Waste reduction is the first step towards a cleaner, healthier planet.