Asda has partnered with Podback, the coffee pod recycling service, to provide consumers with a practical and sustainable option for the responsible disposal of used coffee capsules. Thanks to this initiative, customers can now recycle their aluminium and plastic pods at over 600 Asda stores across the UK.
The recycling process is simple: consumers need to fill a Podback bag with their used pods and return it via the Asda toYou parcel return service at participating stores. The bags can be ordered free of charge from www.podback.org. Through this solution, Asda and Podback aim to integrate coffee pod recycling into customers' shopping routines, encouraging increasingly sustainable behaviour.
A Concrete Commitment to Sustainability
Beth Fowler, Senior Manager – Healthy and Sustainable Choices at Asda, stated:
We’re always looking for ways to support customers to make sustainable choices when shopping with us. The partnership with Podback is one of many workstreams across Asda’s ESG strategy including broader commitments on packaging reduction, recyclability and recycled content. By offering the collection and recycling service with Asda toYou and Podback, we hope that we can make recycling more convenient than ever when shopping with Asda.
Rick Hindley, Executive Director of Podback, added:
Our partnership with Asda marks an exciting step forward in Podback’s mission to make sure every coffee pod enjoyed is recycled. Our customers tell us that they want easy and convenient ways to recycle, and the nationwide network of Asda toYou drop-off points means they can now drop their pods off for recycling as part of their regular visit to the supermarket.
A Circular Economy Model
The free Podback service was launched in 2021 by Nestlé and Jacobs Douwe Egberts to facilitate coffee pod recycling in the UK. Thanks to this initiative, coffee grounds are converted into renewable energy and fertiliser through an anaerobic digestion process, while aluminium and plastic capsules are repurposed into new products such as beverage cans, construction materials, and garden furniture.
