The Nespresso Machine Accessory You Don't Need To Bother Buying

Whether you're buying the least expensive Nespresso machine or the most expensive — it's an investment. All of the other machine accessories and gadgets, along with the commitment to regularly stocking your pantry with a variety of the required coffee capsules, only add on to that. But, what if all of them weren't necessary? The testing team at Tasting Table ranked a dozen different Nespresso accessories, and while a lot of them could fall under the umbrella, there was one accessory in particular you don't need to bother buying, and that's the Nespresso recycling bin.

For $20, the idea of a dedicated recycling bin reserved just for your used Nespresso pods in itself sounds excessive. But, that's especially because, whether you're purchasing the standard aluminum or paper pods, your Nespresso coffee capsules are commonly accepted at most recycling facilities. Knowing that, Nespresso's pods don't require a special service — let alone a special bin — to be recycled. You can easily throw any of your used pods into the same one you use for the rest of your recyclables to be picked up from your home every week. Or, you can take part in Nespresso's free recycling service.

Even if you don't already take part in a local recycling program, a $20 bin from Nespresso is not necessary. The brand has offered a free recycling service to its customers since 1991 — including a free recycling bag with every coffee pod purchase made directly through the Nespresso site.

If you didn't know, now you do. Recycling your Nespresso pods is completely free, simply add as many of them as you think you'll need to your cart and watch the price remain unchanged. Each bag can hold up to 200 of the Original pods and 100 of the Vertuo pods — that's anywhere from three to six months of Nespresso drinking, depending on how many coffees you drink a day. Then, when your bag does eventually get full, all you have to do is drop the bag off at the nearest UPS location to you and they'll ship them off to be recycled at no charge. It's just one of the many reasons why, when compared to other popular coffee pod brands, Nespresso is very sustainable.

Made from aluminum, not only are the pods themselves recyclable to infinity, but Nespresso also offers a paper option that can be thrown into your home compost or garden, coffee grounds and all. But, it's not just about the pods themselves, either — it's about the coffee within them. On top of offering an organic coffee pod option, all of Nespresso's coffees hold a special, B Corp certification that ensures social and environmental responsibility across every stage of its production process. From the farms to its workers and surrounding communities, and from the coffee itself to the pods it comes in and the machines that brew it, sustainability is always at the top of Nespresso's mind.