Joining Forces to Accelerate Recycling: Q&A with Lottie Dalziel

We’re delighted to introduce our new sustainability partner, Lottie Dalziel, NSW Young Australian of the year and founder of Banish and BRAD.

Lottie has encouraged Australians across the country to rethink the products they buy and has sparked a recycling movement with the BRAD program. Used aluminium coffee capsules are among the household items her program collects, which are now being recycled through Nespresso’s dedicated program via the REMONDIS Tomago Resource Recovery Facility.

We sat down with her over a cup of Nespresso, to capture her thoughts on both common recycling misconceptions and simple tips for getting it right.

First things first, what’s your favourite Nespresso coffee blend?

I used to drink Original Line and Arpeggio was my favourite as it’s really intense. However, I recently switched to Vertuo Pop and now I love the Piccolo capsule. Again, it’s intense and smooth and pairs really well with plant-based milk!

How do you usually drink it?

I usually make an Oat Latte in my reusable Travel Mug from Nespresso's Travel collection.

Tell us about your business, Banish, and what inspired you to set it up?

Banish is one of Australia's leading education platforms and sustainable marketplaces. We educate thousands of people every day on how to live more sustainably and also connect Aussies with over 70 different small Aussie businesses. I started Banish five years ago out of a personal need. I was starting my own journey to reduce my waste and I couldn't find credible information or products to help me do that. I knew that in order for people to make a change, it needed to be easy so I set out to create the solution to my problems!

Why have you partnered with Nespresso?

1. Nespresso is a fellow B Corp, and so we share similar values around sustainability.
2. I also run BRAD, a recycling program for hard to recycle household items. One of the streams we accept is aluminium coffee capsules. Partnering with Nespresso means we have way to responsibly recycle this stream.
3. Everything that I do is about education. Partnering with Nespresso enables me to educate even more Australians on how to recycle right.

In your opinion and experience, what are some of the common misconceptions that exist around recycling coffee capsules?

1. A key misconception is that coffee capsules can't be recycled at all. The great thing about aluminium coffee capsules is that both the coffee grounds and the aluminium are valuable materials that can be used again, provided they’re recycled in the correct channels.
2. The second common misunderstanding is that aluminium coffee capsules can be recycled in your kerbside collections. I see so many Australians trying to do the right thing by putting used household items like soft plastics, toothbrushes and aluminium coffee capsules in their kerbside recycling bins and optimistically hoping they will be recycled at the other end. Most often than not, it sadly isn’t the case! Many items like aluminium coffee capsules must be recycled through dedicated programs like Nespresso’s where infrastructure exists to separate the materials. In fact, adding incorrect items to the wrong recycling bin can cause contamination which could send the whole load of recyclable items to landfill. So, I want to help educate Australians on what exists for recycling, so their fantastic efforts aren’t wasted (excuse the pun).
3. Many people also think that compostable capsules are a more sustainable choice than aluminium. However, it’s not as simple as throwing them into a kerbside green waste bin or adding them to your garden at home. In order to be composted, compostable capsules need to go to an industrial compost facility, and it can be difficult to get your capsules there. With Nespresso’s coffee capsules, customers can easily recycle them with four ways to get involved, either by dropping them off for free at a Nespresso boutique, by posting them back to Nespresso in an Australia Post Satchel, by dropping them at a participating collection point, or by becoming a community collection point yourself.
4. Finally, some people think recycling capsules requires a lot of effort and that the coffee must be removed first before recycling! I’m pleased to confirm this isn’t the case and you can leave that part to Nespresso’s recycling facility. During the recycling process, the capsules are actually squashed and the coffee itself is separated by machines. So, all you have to do is drop them off in your recycling bag!

What are some of your recycling tips more generally?

There are a few simple tips to keep in mind when it comes to recycling:

1. Always check the Australasian Recycling Label (ARL) — The Australasian Recycling Label (ARL) is an evidence-based system for Australia and New Zealand, that provides you with easy to understand recycling information to remove confusion, save you time and reduce waste going to landfill. This is a great place to start in guiding you towards the right bin.
2. If you’re still unsure, check your local council website — Rules can vary from area to area, so here you should find details on what can be recycled in kerbside bins where you live. In some cases, items made from more than one material can’t be recycled. For example, e-commerce mailers made from bubble wrap and paper.
3. Learn more about individual schemes for recycling specific items — Recycling Near You is a great source to learn more about what’s available in your area. Some items must be recycled via specific schemes instead of the yellow bin, including aluminium coffee capsules, old batteries, TVs, computers, mobile phones and textiles. Nespresso’s coffee capsule recycling program has four ways to get involved. Customers can recycle aluminium capsules at Nespresso boutiques, by dropping them at one of their many participating collection points across the country including many local florists, by sending used capsules to them in an Australia Post recycling satchel, or by becoming a public or private collection point via their bulk recycling program.
4. Prepare your packaging for recycling — Follow the ARL guidance but also make sure of things like flattening any boxes such as your Nespresso machine packaging. Also make sure to clean your containers first. They don’t need to be spotless, just clean and dry enough so that leftover food or liquid does not spill onto other materials. Dirty containers can reduce the quality of the materials and cause problems in the recycling process. It can even lead to an entire load of recycling being sent to landfill. This doesn’t apply to your aluminium coffee capsules though, they can be recycled as they are through the Nespresso recycling program.