Supermarket chain Eroski has become the first major distributor in Spain to install collection points for used coffee capsules of any material or brand, as part of its coffee capsule recycling project.
The pilot project will be carried out in stores in the Basque Country, Navarra, and the Balearic Islands.
Reducing Environmental Impact
The initiative will help in recovering all of the raw materials of the capsule, as well as organic waste, thereby minimising the environmental impact associated with the use of coffee capsules, the retailer said.
The director of health and sustainability at Eroski, Alejandro Martínez Berriochoa, said that the company was "aware of the growing demand for single-dose capsules of coffee", as well as the corresponding increase in waste generation.
Martínez Berriochoa also acknowledged the dearth of collection points available for proper recycling "due to the complexity involved in the separation and management of organic matter of the coffee tassel and other materials, like aluminium or plastic".
The Recycling Process
The project will include the implementation of a reverse logistics process, which will see the capsules deposited in store collected by PLS Pooling, a pallet-packaging company that will reappropriate the used capsules for treatment and recycling.
Both the coffee and the biodegradable capsules will be converted into fertiliser for mushrooms, fungi and other compost, while the plastic and aluminium will be recycled and melted to generate new plastic and aluminium containers, respectively.
A certificate will be issued upon completion of the process every month, which will certify that the capsules have been removed and recycled, including a calculation of their carbon footprint and the emissions avoided.
During the implementation of the project, Eroski will also develop information campaigns in store, on social networks, and in the Eroski Club magazine to communicate to customers the availability of this new service and to make them aware of the importance of recycling these containers.
© 2018 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
