A scientific research collaboration between Nespresso Australia and the UNSW Smart Centre says metallised packaging such as chip packets and spent coffee capsules can be recycled into steel making.
The research was conducted as part of the ARC Green Manufacturing Research Hub hosted by the Smart (sustainable materials, research and technology) Centre, and is promising to provide a boost to Australia’s aluminium recycling and smelting sectors
Professor Veena Sahajwalla, director at Hub and Smart Centre, said the finding brings to an end the Green Manufacturing Research Hub after five years, and will be subject to further investigations from Smart, with support from Nespresso.
“For the first time, we have demonstrated that using waste food packaging containing aluminium, such as chip packets and spent coffee capsules, can become a useful resource in the steelmaking process,” Sahajwalla said.
Marta Fernandes, technical and quality manager Nespresso Australia and Oceania, said, “This collaboration aligns with Nespresso’s commitment to circularity, and looking for ways to help keep waste materials in use for as long as possible.
“It demonstrates our existing investment in building a local recycling scheme that has enabled all of our customers in Australia, both residential and business, to recycle their used Nespresso aluminium capsules via 19,000 collection points, with four different options to make it as easy as possible for customer to recycle.
“Recycling and helping to find circular outcomes for waste materials are a big part of the company’s broader sustainability efforts, which include bringing capsules made from 80 per cent recycled aluminium to the Australian market, sourcing 94 per cent of coffee through its AAA Sustainable Qualit programme, and committing to be fully carbon neutral by 2022.
We are proud to be continuing our research collaboration with Professor Sahajwalla and her UNSW Smart Centre team because there is even more we can achieve.”
Sahajwalla said: “Our multi-material waste containing aluminium could be useful in steel making. This type of quality waste material, not subject to conventional recycling, could be transformed into a resource, suitable for the chemical reactions needed to remove oxygen in steelmaking process.
“Finding a way to provide a new life for polymer-laminated aluminium packaging (PLAP) materials in steel making is exciting, and we look forward to new collaborations with Nespresso in the future to advance this and other aluminium recycling breakthroughs.”
Maximising the value of recycled materials is a key pillar of the circular economy, which Nespresso is committed to supporting. It has established its own onshore recycling scheme that already recovers the aluminium from capsules for use in industry.
The Smart Centre develops novel research for sustainable materials and manufacturing processes. The Centre also builds industry partnerships to apply research to real world applications and disseminates both green materials and manufacturing technologies that benefit industries, local communities, and enhance sustainable economic growth. One of the Centre’s key successes has been commercialising technology to create green steel.
Metallised packaging has long been problematic for recyclers, while providing brands with extended shelf life.
