Podback was created to provide lovers of pod coffee with simple and easy ways to recycle. A single, nationwide recycling service for aluminium and plastic pods which brands across the coffee pod sector could support, and offer to their customers. Over the past four years, our membership has grown to include more than 35 member brands, including national retailers and artisan roasters.
As a start-up business it has always been important to listen to our customers, and take on board their feedback so that we can develop the service to meet their needs. But key to Podback's continued success is to focus on making it easy for people to recycle.
INTRODUCING OUR NATIONWIDE DROP-OFF NETWORK
With the need for simplicity and convenience at the forefront of our minds, Podback has been working on adding more ways to recycle, and we are excited to have reached the stage when we can launch our nationwide network of drop-off points; offering customers a range of local options for dropping off their pods as part of their regular routine.
In collaboration with two major supermarket retailers, Asda and Morrisons, and a growing number of local authorities and waste management companies Podback recycling points are now available from Inverness to Penzance, and the number of locations is set to grow in the coming months.
These new services will also reduce the Carbon footprint of the service, as people can add pod recycling to an existing journey, rather than making a one-off or additional trip.
FIND OUT HOW TO RECYCLE – IN JUST TWO STEPS
Our expanded service means we have updated our website, and our new interactive map helps customers understand the options available in their local area.
Step 1: Complete the Recycle Checker, or access the map through an existing Podback account, and the map view will show where drop-off points are available.
Step 2: Then just click on your chosen location to find out how to recycle there – there’s no need to generate a returns label in advance and stick it to your bag. Where labels are required (at Asda toYou), this happens at the point when you drop off your pods. No labels are required at Morrisons or Costa Coffee. No bags are required to recycle at a local authority recycling centre.
GETTING STARTED – DO YOU NEED A BAG?
If you are using in-store drop-off you need a Podback bag. These are available when you buy your pods from a member brand. They can also be picked up from Customer Services in branches of Morrisons Supermarkets and from your barista at Costa Coffee in Tesco and Starbucks Coffee Shops.
Remember you need to ask for a Green Podback bag for plastic pods, and a White Podback bag for aluminium pods.
You can also create an account with Podback and order bags directly from us*. (*excludes Nespresso customers)
More details on getting bags and creating your account can be found on the Podback interactive map – click on your chosen drop-off location for details, and follow the links to get started.
You don’t need a Podback bag if you are using your local recycling centre. Just save your pods in any container (keeping aluminium and plastic pods separate, please!) and tip them loose into the Podback container.
CHANGES TO YODEL RETURNS
As our nationwide drop-off network grows we are moving away from offering the returns service with Yodel. Our partnership with Yodel has been instrumental in establishing Podback as the UK’s recycling service, but for the future our focus will be on expanding the range of convenient local drop-off points with retailers and local authorities.
Yodel labels generated before 17th March will no longer be valid from March 31st 2025. So to avoid a wasted journey we’re asking Podback users to use the Recycle Checker to find local alternatives to their Yodel store. Our customer services team is on-hand to assist with any questions about the changes.
Since we launched our first in-store recycling points with Morrisons in 2023 the response from recyclers has been overwhelmingly positive, and that has shaped the decision to roll-out Podback across Morrisons stores nationwide. This will be complete by Easter. Our new service with Asda toYou has immediately proved popular, with over 10,000 bags returned within the first six weeks. Currently 35% of UK households have a Podback service provided by their local authority, and we have an ambitious target to reach 75% coverage by the end of the year.
This enthusiasm for Podback tells us that coffee pod lovers are as passionate about recycling as they are about their coffee, and they want to ‘do the right thing’ with their used pods. And they want the process of recycling to be simple – yes it might take a bit more effort compared to opening the kitchen bin and tipping the pod in, but the ‘reward’ is knowing that through Podback it will be given a new life. We are proud to tell people that the pods we collect are recycled here in UK; that the plastic and aluminium are used to make new products and coffee grounds are transformed into renewable energy and soil improver. We hope that by introducing more ways to recycle, Podback's mission of ensuring every pod enjoyed, is recycled will become a reality.