Westchester County Adds Nespresso Capsules to Curbside Recycling

The program serves more than 900,000 residents within the county’s Refuse Disposal District. By upgrading sorting capabilities at the Department of Environmental Facilities Material Recovery Facility, the county can now capture smaller aluminum formats that were previously lost during the initial sorting process. This initiative aligns with broader efforts to keep valuable metals in the circular economy, supported by organizations like the International Aluminium Institute, which estimates that nearly 8 million metric tons of aluminum go uncollected annually worldwide.

Melania Luna, Vice President of Operations at Nespresso USA, noted that the move is part of a thirty-year effort to streamline consumer recycling. For Nespresso, the project is a continuation of similar curbside initiatives already operational in New York City and Jersey City. The company currently utilizes recycled aluminum for the vast majority of its Original and Vertuo capsule lines, reinforcing the demand for recovered material. Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins emphasized that the collaboration serves as a model for how public and private sectors can work together to increase accessibility for sustainable waste management.