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Giving your aluminium coffee capsules a better future

Welcome to the Curby Capsule Program! If you’re a resident of Willoughby, Mosman or Newcastle, you can now register to participate in the pilot!

  

It has never been easier to recycle your aluminium coffee capsules

By becoming a Curby supporter you’re helping prevent aluminium coffee capsules from going into landfill.

Available in LGA

          

Processed by

Recycled by

Did you know it’s really easy to recycle the aluminium and coffee grounds used in coffee capsules?

Every component can be transformed into new products and given a new life.

However, it is not as simple as just throwing your capsules in your recycling bin and forgetting about them.

The coffee capsule Curby Program aims to provide a simple, fun and rewarding way for you to recycle all of your aluminium coffee capsules from the comfort of your home.

Simply fill your CurbyBag with aluminium coffee capsules to the line indicated. Then scan any QR code on the bag to earn rewards before placing it into your yellow lid recycling bin.

Help Curby increase aluminium coffee capsule recycling rates and give your capsules a new life!

Why recycle aluminium coffee capsules?

Did you know that aluminium is infinitely recyclable? It’s estimated that 75% of all aluminium produced is still in use in cars, computers, bicycles and much more.

Recycled aluminium only uses 5% of the energy required to refine it from raw materials, so sending it to landfill adds to emissions and is a huge waste of a valuable resource.

What you might also not be aware of is that every part of the capsule can be recycled – from the aluminium casing right down to the coffee grounds – to create a whole range of new products.

Just because you’ve finished that cup of coffee doesn’t mean the story is over for your capsule. Give it a new life and reduce your environmental footprint with the Curby Coffee Capsule Program.

Your coffee capsule’s journey from use to reuse

Thank you for your support! 

Aluminium coffee capsules - pilot program FAQ

About the material type
Why should I recycle my aluminium coffee capsules?

It’s estimated that 75% of all aluminium produced is still in use in cars, computers, bicycles and much more.

Unfortunately, too much of this infinitely recyclable aluminium is currently ending up in landfill and going to waste. Recycled aluminium only uses 5% of the energy required to refine it from raw materials, so sending it to landfill adds to emissions and is a huge waste of a valuable resource.

Coffee grounds can also be put to good use, as compost, in biogas production, waste to energy or plant fertilizer.

CurbCycle aims to help raise the rate of coffee capsules recycling by using the existing kerbside recycling bin and infrastructure at Material Recovery Facilities.

Through this trial, we hope to showcase how this model could be rolled out nationally at some point in the future, increasing the convenience of aluminum capsule recycling options.

 

Why are Aluminium coffee capsules recyclable?

Aluminium has the benefit of being infinitely recyclable, this means that by recycling your aluminium coffee capsules the materials collected can be used to make other aluminium products.

 

Why is Aluminium used for the manufacture of coffee capsules?

Aluminium is used because it is the best material to protect the freshness, taste and quality of the coffee. Aluminium is a naturally-occurring metal and is infinitely recyclable. Recycled aluminium is extremely versatile. An estimated 75% of all Aluminium ever produced is still in use today. Aluminium is used in a wide range of products, from food packaging to cars and computers, window frames to bicycles.

About the process
I have scanned the QR on my CurbyBag and placed it into the yellow lid recycling bin, what happens next?

Well done! Your CurbyBasgs will be collected with the rest of your recycling items by the Council and taken to the Material Recovery Facility to be separated and sent to Nespresso for recycling.

Thanks to your amazing work scanning the QR code on each of your CurbyBags, you will not only collect CurbyPoints but also be able to learn more about the aluminium coffee capsules recycling process! In future we plan to share notifications once we receive your bags at the Material Recovery Facility (MRF) so you can follow your CurbyBag’s journey.

 

What happens to the Aluminium and coffee grounds?

All aluminium coffee capsules that are collected are separated at the recycling center and then sent to the Nespresso recycling plant.

There, the aluminium is separated from the coffee grounds. The grounds are sent to an industrial composting facility to be transformed into compost, while the aluminium is recycled and sent back to the aluminium industry to produce new aluminium products.

 

What happens to the CurbyBags after the capsules have been removed?

The plastic bag will be separated at the Nespresso recycling plant and collected for recycling in a soft plastics recycling program such as RedCycle.

About my participation
Can I put plastic or compostable coffee capsules into my CurbyBag?

No, the Curby Program is only able to accept aluminium coffee capsules at this stage. We are working to gain the support of producers of plastic capsules to fund trials of their respective products as an extension to the fast-growing product stewardship program concept.

 

I’m not participating in the aluminium coffee capsule Curby Program – how can I recycle my coffee capsules?

You can recycle your used Aluminium coffee capsules through Nespresso’s recycling scheme which collects through the company’s boutiques, participating florists, specialised Australia Post satchels and via bulk recycling boxes available to businesses, communities and multi-unit apartment blocks.

 

I know someone that wants to join the Curby trial, how do they join?

They simply need to download the Curby app to register their interest in the Curby program. We will check to see what Curby Programs are available in their area.

Download for IOS: https://c.curby.cc/ios
Download for Android: https://c.curby.cc/play

 

When will this Aluminium coffee capsule program be introduced to other Councils?

The Curby program is currently limited to a select number of Council areas. We are working to activate other Council areas across Australia.

 

Which Aluminium coffee capsules can I put in my CurbyBag?

All Aluminium coffee capsule brands will be accepted. Your Curby Program Welcome Brochure has a guide with all the instructions that you need to participate and you can also view our FAQ for more.

 

Why do I need to scan the QR code on my CurbyBag?

Scanning the QR code on your CurbyBag allows you to earn CurbyPoints and to learn about the journey on how your aluminium coffee capsules are collected, processed and recycled into other materials.

The QR code also enables us to track the progress and success of the pilot program.

 

Can I put recycling other than aluminium coffee capsules in my Curby bag?

No, please only put aluminium coffee capsules in your orange CurbyBag so that they can be recycled.

 

Why do you need to collect my details to be part of the Curby trial? What data will you be capturing and how will this be used?

A primary objective for the aluminium coffee capsule Curby program is to make sure that the systems we have set up to identify and sort coffee capsules in our sorting facility are effective.

The QR Codes – which are unique to each CurbyBag – will help us do this.
By monitoring participation in the Curby program, we hope to better understand the overall process and improve it ahead of a wider roll-out.

All communication from the Curby Program is distributed on an opt-in basis. We may need to communicate with you from time to time and seek your feedback on the program so that we may improve the overall experience and raise recycling rates.

The total weight of all CurbyBags collected each day will be measured as a batch so that we can understand the volume of Aluminium coffee capsules being diverted from landfill.

For more information on our Data and Privacy Policy, click here.

 

I have used all my CurbyBags, can I request more?

Unfortunately no, the CurbyBags are limited to the trial. If you have any further questions, please contact support@curbcycle.com.au

 

Can I put more than one CurbyBag in my yellow recycling bin?

Yes, you can put more than one CurbyBag into your yellow lid recycling bin, as long as each bag is filled to the line indicated.

 

What if my recycling bin is full already?

Please wait until the next collection day to ensure that your bin is not overfilled. Alternatively, you can also drop your CurbyBag off at a participating Nespresso drop-off coffee capsule recycling location.

 

If my recycling bin is full, can I put the CurbyBags in my red lid (landfill) bin?

No, CurbyBags that go onto the red bin will go to landfill.

About the trial
How long will the Aluminium coffee capsule trial be going?

The trial has been running since July 2021 in the Mosman and Willoughby Council areas and will roll for another two months including the Newcastle area.

The results of this trial will determine how the service may be rolled out on an ongoing basis sometime in the future.

 

How do I know if I’m eligible to participate in the scheme?

Only residents of Mosman, Willoughby and City of Newcastle are eligible to participate in the Curby aluminium coffee capsule recycling pilot.

 

Why is the program only in Willoughby, Mosman and Newcastle?

The Curby program is a partnership with recycling companies iQ Renew, Curbcycle and the Councils of Mosman, Willoughby, and Newcastle.

 

What’s the purpose of the pilot? What will you do with the findings?

The pilot is aimed at exploring the best way of making the recycling of aluminium capsules as easy as possible for households. Kerbside recycling is among the easiest ways of recycling. The findings of the pilot will help inform an industry-wide national product stewardship scheme for all aluminium coffee capsules.

 

When will a national aluminium coffee capsule recycling scheme be established?

The national scheme is still in development by a separate consortium. It is unclear when that scheme will roll out, however work is currently underway with the industry.

About the Curby program
Do we earn Curby points with this program?

Yes, the points system for this Curby program is the same for all Curby materials.

Make sure to scan your QR codes through the app, to add the CurbyPoints to your account.

Download for IOS: https://c.curby.cc/ios
Download for Android: https://c.curby.cc/pla

 

What can Curby points be used for?

Discussions with Major stakeholders are currently underway regarding the options for using a rewards platform in conjunction with any implemented Curby program.

 

Can I register an interest to be included in more than one program?

Yes, you may be able to participate in more than one Curby program depending on what
services are available in your area.

 

If I’m not participating in the Curby program yet, why should I download the app?

The Aluminium coffee capsule Curby Program is an opt in only trial that requires all participants to register by downloading the Curby app.

The Curby app will give you a lot of information including:

● The latest updates about the program
● Notifications on when the program is available in your area
● Household rewards
● Information about other Curby Programs & recycling available in your area

 

I don’t have a smartphone, how can I access the program?

The CurbyTags are designed to be scanned by a smartphone so we can better understand the journey of the material in the bag to the recovery facility and evaluate the success of the program.

As the current phase of the program is an opt-in only program, we suggest that people who don’t have a smartphone register their interest via the website and can be placed on a waitlist.

Giving your aluminium coffee capsules a better future