Morrisons is to become the first UK supermarket to offer in-store recycling for single-use coffee pods.
The retailer has partnered with pod recycling service provider Podback to install recycling points at more than 350 stores, following a successful trial last year.
The trial, introduced in July 2023 and extended due to its popularity, saw 42,300kg of pods – equivalent to 2.8 million aluminium and plastic pods – collected at Morrisons stores between launch and March 2024, Podback said.
As a result, Morrisons was to install further recycling points at its stores from next month, it added.
“The in-store drop-off trial proved an immediate success with recyclers, and the volume of pods collected through the trial has continued to grow month on month,” said Podback executive director Rick Hindley.
Adding “a national supermarket to our network of free recycling points” was a further step toward Podback’s goal of “making pod recycling simple and convenient for lovers of pod coffee”, Hindley added.
In 2022, Morrisons was the first supermarket to support Podback by offering free coffee pod recycling bags in stores.
Extending its partnership with the service provider would “make it even easier for our customers who want barista-style coffee at home to recycle their used pods”, said Morrisons waste and sustainability manager Zara Safdari.
Aluminium collected by Podback is used in the manufacture of drinks cans and car components, while plastic is used to make items including packaging crates and construction products.
The spent coffee grounds, meanwhile, are treated by anaerobic digestion to produce renewable energy (biogas) and soil improver.
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