Home compostable collection

Try these tips to get the best coffee experience from Nespresso's compostable capsules.

• First, open the pouch with scissors.
• After making your Nespresso coffee, eject the capsule (gently lift the lever) into the capsule bin. We recommend emptying the container at least once a day, and cleaning it regularly as part of your machine maintenance routine.
• Empty your capsule bin into your home compost or bring them back to your Nespresso boutique.
• Leave the capsules in the pouch until you use them, closing it each time and securing it with a clip. Store the pouch in a cool, dry place, but not in your fridge.
• After pouch opening: consume within 4 weeks. Close the pouch tightly with a clip after each use.

By following these simple steps, you can enjoy a delicious cup of coffee with Nespresso's home compostable capsules.

Here are some easy ways to dispose of your Nespresso home compostable capsules:

• If you have a home composter, simply throw used capsules in there. Composting is a simple way to turn your kitchen and yard waste into something useful for your garden.
• Please take note that biodegradable packaging is not accepted in all municipal compost collection. If you’re unsure about your local waste services, it’s always best to check first.
• During this pilot phase, Nespresso is giving customers without home composting the opportunity to bring the capsules back to us in the boutique, using a special bag. And if composting is not for you, we recommend trying our aluminum capsules which can be easily recycled.
• Although we recommend home composting as the best solution for organic waste, compostable capsules placed in the general waste bin will be incinerated capturing energy created by the heat. Indeed, in Switzerland, general waste does not go to landfill and is therefore efficiently revalorised.

As part of the TÜV OK Home Compost certification process, our paper-based capsules were tested to verify that they compost within 6 months under controlled conditions (at 28°C). The TÜV certification requires a maximum duration of 12 months. However, the length of time it takes for the capsules to compost in your garden depends on various factors, such as the management and conditions of your home compost.

For example, many people find that composting takes longer during the colder months. So, while we can’t give you an exact timeframe for composting in your garden, we can assure you that our capsules are designed to compost with the rest of your kitchen and garden waste.

Our paper-based capsules are designed to compost along with your food and garden waste.

For good home composting, it’s important to use a mixture of garden and kitchen waste. However, not all biodegradable material is equally good for composting. Onion skins, citrus peel, eggshells, and stale bread should only be added in small amounts. Never put meat or fish scraps, or dairy, fat and oil, or dog and cat waste in your compost bin.

Compost needs air and moisture. Before adding materials to your compost bin, make sure the open holes are obstructed. This helps ventilation and drainage. You may even set up netting around the base to prevent pests and vermin.

At least three times a year, allow air to flow through the heap by manual rotation or aeration. Just cover your bin to keep the rain out. To assist the compost process, you can occasionally mix the outside ingredients to the inside of the heap.

After around six months, check your mixture. If it’s turned brown and crumbly and started smelling sweet, your nutritionally-rich material for your plants is ready. Remember that composting results vary depending on the climate, and will take longer in colder weather.

No. The Nespresso paper-based capsule contains coffee grounds, which could contaminate the paper recycling process. Please do not place the capsule in your paper recycling bin. Instead, dispose of it properly by composting or following your local waste disposal guidelines.

In Switzerland, you can dispose of the pouch in the general waste bin.

Can you see the entire capsule?

Yes > The possible cause of the capsule becoming stuck is that it is wet and is sticking to part of the machine interior, or that it has tilted inside the machine (above the brewing unit).

In this case, we suggest using the tip of a teaspoon to gently apply pressure on the highest side of the capsule, in order to correct the angle of the tilt (make it horizontal). The capsule should now drop through the machine. Please do not use your finger.

No > It’s possible the capsule may be stuck inside the brewing unit of your machine. We advise you to slowly close and lift the handle again to eject the paper-based capsule. If the capsule remains blocked in the brewing unit, we suggest waiting at least 15 minutes (an hour if possible), then repeating this process. Please don’t insert your fingers or any tools into the brewing unit to dislodge the capsule. If the problem persists, contact us.

We've done further testing and believe that the quality of the coffee meets our high standards for up to four weeks after the pouch has been opened, so long as it's resealed after each use.