New Partnership Makes Recycling Small Aluminum Items Easier for More Than 900,000 Residents
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Recycling just got a little easier in Westchester County. Through a new partnership between Westchester County, Nespresso and the Glass Packaging Institute, residents can now recycle used Nespresso capsules and other small aluminum items, such as bottle caps, right in their curbside recycling bins.
The program is available to more than 900,000 residents served by the Refuse Disposal District and gives people another simple way to recycle from home. The Department of Environmental Facilities’ Material Recovery Facility in Yonkers will process those small aluminum items, where new technology helps recover materials that might otherwise be missed and puts them back into use.
This initiative aims to connect both sides of the recycling journey by supporting material collection as well as growing recycled aluminum demand, with organizations such as the International Aluminium Institute leading the way. By supporting both recovery and material market developments, it keeps the aluminum in use longer and reinforces the value of recycling. The initiative also reinforces Westchester County’s commitment to sustainability through an innovative public-private partnerships.
Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins said: “Westchester County is proud to work with partners like Nespresso and the Glass Packaging Institute to make recycling more accessible for our residents. Expanding curbside recycling to include Nespresso capsules and other small, non-ferrous aluminum items helps capture more valuable resources and keep additional waste out of landfills. This collaboration is another example of how public and private partners can work together to make sustainability easier for our communities.”
Westchester County Department of Environmental Facilities Commissioner Vincent Kopicki said: “Westchester County has long been committed to finding innovative ways to improve recycling for our residents. This partnership strengthens our ability to recover valuable aluminum that may have previously been missed, while making recycling simpler and more convenient for households across the County. It’s an investment that benefits both our environment and our recycling system.”
Westchester County Department of Environmental Facilities First Deputy Commissioner Louis Vetrone said: “This initiative demonstrates how investments in technology and strong partnerships can deliver real results. By improving the way we recover small aluminum materials, we’re keeping more recyclable resources in circulation while continuing to modernize Westchester County’s recycling infrastructure for the future.”
Westchester County Director of Energy Conservation and Sustainability Peter McCartt said: “This is another wonderful example of the innovative and sustainable initiatives that our Department of Environmental Facilities continues to bring to our recycling program. It’s a great reminder that meaningful environmental progress doesn’t always come from one big action — it comes from the many small choices we make every day. When our engaged residents have the tools and opportunities to participate, those individual efforts add up to a powerful collective impact, helping us significantly increase solid waste diversion and build a cleaner, more sustainable community for everyone.”
Nespresso USA Vice President of Operations Melania Luna said: “Expanding our curbside recycling program to Westchester marks a significant step forward for recycling infrastructure. For over 30 years, Nespresso has been committed to making recycling easy for our customers. Thanks to our partners, Westchester County, Glass Packaging Institute, and the US Aluminum Association, we’re thrilled that our capsules and other small metals can now be properly captured and given a second life. Through collaborations like this, we create a pathway not only for our products but for the entire industry to advance recycling solutions.”
Glass Packaging Institute President Scott DeFife said: “Smaller recyclable metals, plastics, and paper are often lost at the initial sort and end up in the glass recycling material. Investments in equipment, with support from Nespresso and partner communities like Westchester County, help to effectively recover and recycle smaller materials in their proper place.”
International Aluminium Institute Director Scenarios and Forecasts Marlen Bertram said: “Aluminum can be recycled endlessly, yet close to 8 million metric tons go uncollected worldwide every year, 58% of it from packaging. That is a serious loss of a critical raw material our economies depend on. This project proves what is possible when we work with customers, collaborate across materials, and partner with countries and communities: we can recover far more scrap and return it to the circular economy. That is an opportunity we cannot afford to miss.”
The expansion builds on Westchester County’s ongoing efforts to make recycling more convenient and effective for residents while investing in technologies that recover additional recyclable materials. The Department of Environmental Facilities’ Material Recovery Facility processes recyclables collected throughout the Refuse Disposal District and continues to explore innovative partnerships that increase recovery rates and reduce waste.
Residents throughout the Refuse Disposal District can now place used Nespresso capsules and other accepted small aluminum items, including bottle caps, in their curbside recycling bins along with glass, plastic, metal and other commingled recyclables. It’s another easy way for residents to recycle at home while keeping valuable materials out of the waste stream and in circulation. Additional information about the County’s recycling programs is available through the Department of Environmental Facilities website at https://environment.westchestercountyny.gov.
About Nespresso
Nespresso is a pioneer and is widely regarded as one of the top references in the field of high-quality portioned coffee. The company works with more than 165,000 farmers in 18 countries through its Nespresso Sustainable Quality Plan to embed sustainability practices on farms and the surrounding landscapes. Launched in 2003 in collaboration with the NGO Rainforest Alliance, the program helps to improve the yield and quality of harvests, ensuring a sustainable supply of high-quality coffee and improving livelihoods of farmers and their communities.
In 2022, Nespresso achieved B Corp™ certification – joining an international movement of over 7,900 purpose-led businesses that meet B Corp’s high standards of social and environmental responsibility and transparency.
Headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland, Nespresso operates in 93 markets and has 14’000 employees. In 2023, it operated a global retail network of 791 boutiques. For more information, visit the Nespresso corporate website: www.nestle-nespresso.com.
About Glass Packaging Institute
Founded in 1919 as the Glass Container Association of America, the Glass Packaging Institute (GPI) is the trade association representing the North American glass container industry. On behalf of glass container manufacturers, glass recyclers, and their supply chain partners, GPI promotes glass as the optimal packaging choice, advances environmental and recycling policies, advocates industry standards, and educates packaging professionals. GPI recently created the Small Format Coalition (SFC) to boost cullet quality and recovery of non-glass packaging by elevating the sorting and acceptance of small format packaging in municipal and operational systems through strategic investments, end-market development, and cross-sector collaboration. GPI and the SFC are working to achieve this by implementing scalable solutions to recover small format packaging (metal, plastic, and paper) from commingled glass streams across the country. To learn more, visit www.gpi.org or www.smallformatcoalition.org