The Industrial and Commercial Coffee Association (AICC), alongside six partner companies, has launched RECAPS, a pioneering initiative focused on the collection and recycling of coffee capsules. Currently, 15 municipalities in Portugal have signed on to participate in this effort.
Developed over the past five years, RECAPS—officially known as the Society for the Collection and Recycling of Coffee Capsules—aims to facilitate recycling for all coffee capsule consumers across Portugal. The initiative seeks to expand its reach to more than 20 local authorities by the end of 2025.
This collaborative project marks a significant milestone as it unites competing brands for the first time, including Bellissimo, Delta Q, and Ginga from Delta Cafés, as well as Chave D’Ouro, Nicola, Segafredo from Massimo Zanetti, Buondi, Nescafé Dolce Gusto, Nespresso, Sical, and Starbucks from Nestlé Portugal, along with Bogani from NewCoffee and UCC Coffee.
RECAPS aims to help Portugal meet its national recycling targets, currently providing approximately 200 collection points—known as “capsulons”—across 15 municipalities: Almada, Aveiro, Braga, Cascais, Cantanhede, Condeixa, Famalicão, Guimarães, Lisbon, Mafra, Moita, Montemor-o-Novo, Oeiras, Proença-a-Nova, and Seixal. According to spokesperson Cláudia Pimentel, Portugal ranks among the highest in Europe for per capita coffee capsule consumption, with an estimated 2 billion capsules entering the market each year.
While participation in this collection and recycling initiative is not mandated by law, Pimentel emphasized the industry’s commitment to environmental responsibility. “The sector as a whole is environmentally concerned and wants to contribute to Portugal achieving better recycling targets and reducing waste in landfills,” she stated. The primary goal is to maximize the reach of RECAPS by expanding into as many municipalities as possible.
The recycling model mirrors traditional ecopoints, relying on collaboration among consumers, local authorities, and recycling companies. Consumers are encouraged to deposit used capsules at designated collection points, while municipalities are tasked with maintaining these sites. Recycling companies are responsible for collecting the capsules and transporting them to specialized facilities, where materials such as plastic, aluminum, and coffee grounds are separated and recycled.
Pimentel clarified that each municipality manages its collection process through various points. Collected capsules are typically stored at a municipal waste facility until they are picked up by RECAPS partner recyclers, who sort the waste into its constituent parts—sludge, plastic, and aluminum.
The specific locations of collection points are determined by municipalities, which optimize existing recycling infrastructures. For instance, in Guimarães, local authorities collaborated with retailers to establish additional collection points.
As of now, the RECAPS system operates in 13 municipalities—Almada, Aveiro, Braga, Cascais, Cantanhede, Condeixa, Famalicão, Guimarães, Lisbon, Mafra, Moita, Oeiras, and Seixal—boasting around 200 collection sites, which include both fixed recycling points and designated capsule collection furniture.
Regarding the recycling process, specialized entities like Bio4plás and Saica oversee the separation of materials from the collected capsules. The first step involves removing coffee grounds, which can be composted or used as agricultural additives. Subsequently, aluminum and plastic are sorted and sent for recycling, where they are transformed into new products. For example, plastics may be repurposed into urban furniture such as café terrace chairs and tables, while aluminum can be recycled into new items, including the metal structure of a French press coffee maker.
As Portugal progresses toward sustainable waste management, the RECAPS initiative stands out as a collaborative effort to address the environmental challenges posed by coffee capsule consumption.
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