Nespresso has partnered with global recycling and upcycling pioneers TerraCycle to expand its recycling programme. As part of the partnership, Nespresso now has an additional 75-plus recycling collection points in florists and garden centres nationwide, from Invercargill to Kerikeri. The used capsules are then picked up by TerraCycle and sent to a recycling plant in Auckland. At the plant they are recycled into two streams; the roast and ground coffee is separated and then transformed into compost, while the aluminium capsules are melted.

The smart people at TerraCycle came up with a brilliant idea: recycling! But what is TerraCycle and what do they do? In their own words: “TerraCycle offers free recycling programs funded by brands, manufacturers, and retailers around the world to help you collect and recycle your hard-to-recycle waste..." Clever right? And not only, using this service is completely free and very easy. All you have to do is sign up on their website and join the recycling program you like (in this case theNESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto Capsule Recycling Program). When you have collected enough capsules and you are ready to recycle them, put them in a box (use an old recycled box and make sure your capsules are dry – I put them in Ziploc bags, just to be extra safe), get the shipping label sent via email, print it and drop the box at your nearest Australia Post office. All done and without having to spend a cent. All that would already be great, but TerraCycle does more: you will earn money for each capsule you send for the non-profit organisation of your choice! For this amazing programme, TerraCycle has partnered with NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto andDeLonghi and they sent me one of their beautiful Stelia machines to try out. I must admit that I was very impressed. So, what are you waiting for? Get your Stelia machine, start trying out all the delicious NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto flavours and recycle all your capsules now with TerraCycle!!

MARGOT O'NEILL: Meanwhile Nespresso is trying to address a problem by partnering with recycling company, Terracycle. TOM SZAKY, CEO, TERRACYCLE: Through their funding we were able to set up national platforms where you can send us the capsules, we pay you for shipping, we even give you a donation to your favourite school or charity for every capsule you send in and then we shred them, we separate the organics and compost those, and then we take the metals, melt those into new metal products and the plastics into new plastic products. WRITING ON SCREEN: Terracycle says that 500,000 Australians are recycling coffee pods every day.