Latest news
Read the latest news from the Centre for Sustainable Materials Research and Technology
UNSW SMaRT Centre Director Prof Veena appears in this video with Assistant Minister for Waste Reduction and Environmental Management Trevor Evans to help promote 'product stewardship', the shared responsibility for products.
The federal Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment has produced two videos as part of its new product stewardship scheme, which is one element of its waste and recycling strategy.
The above video focuses on the Podcycle initiative being led by SMaRT partner Planet Ark which is establishing a National Product Stewardship Scheme to enable the recycling of all types of coffee pods, with the support of the coffee pod and retail industries.
SMaRT has developed various waste to product innovations for coffee wastes in different technologies for remanufacturing to keep those waste items out of landfill, such as its Green Aluminium research reforming capsules, Green Steel R&D using coffee grounds in steel making, and Green Ceramics technology that incorporates waste coffee cups (and here, here and here).
Product to waste innovations like those of the SMaRT Centre are central to effective product stewardship, and ties into a new ReMade in Australia initiative the federal Government has just launched which SMaRT and Veena are part of.
Details on the product stewardship campaign and scheme
Video transcript:
[Music plays and an image appears of a blue screen and text appears: PODcycle, Supported by The National Product Stewardship Investment Fund]
[Images move through to show a facing and then profile view of the Hon Trevor Evans MP talking to the camera, and then shrink wrapped pallets in a warehouse, and text appears: Hon Trevor Evans MP, Assistant Minister, Waste Reduction and Environmental Management, $25 million dollars]
Hon Trevor Evans MP: The Federal Government's investing over $25 million into creating new, or expanding existing product stewardship schemes.
[Images move through of Professor Veena Sahajawalla and a colleague talking in a warehouse, Veena looking at a bale of circuit boards, and Veena talking to the camera, and text appears: Prof Veena Sahajwalla, Recycling Expert, UNSW Smart Centre]
Prof Veena Sahajwalla: Product stewardship is really about showing that circular economy and circular solutions can actually be brought to life.
[Image changes to show a pile of circuit boards, and then the image changes to show small components of circuit boards]
Real actionable solutions where you can look at waste materials, not as waste, but rather see it as an opportunity.
[Images move through of a pot of material being put into a furnace and melted, the material inside the pot being melted, and then Veena talking to the camera, and the camera zooms in]
Circular economy is really all about valuing our material so that we can keep it in use, make it productive for as long as we can.
[Image changes to show a close view of a coffee pod being held in the hands, and then the image changes to show the front of a Nespresso store]
Rebecca Gilling: Australia is a nation of coffee lovers, and people are increasingly embracing the convenience of coffee pods.
[Images move through to show a close view of Rebecca Gilling talking to the camera, a medium view of Rebecca talking, and then rubbish moving through on a conveyer belt, and text appears: Rebecca Gilling, Co-CEO, Planet Ark]
There is no recycling solution at kerbside for coffee pods, partly to do with their small size, they literally fall through the cracks at the recycling centres.
[Images move through of a view looking down on rubbish moving through on a conveyer belt, a forklift moving a crate of recycling, and Rebecca talking to the camera, and the camera zooms in]
The other problem is that some people are putting their pods in their kerbside recycling where they're a contaminant of the recycling stream.
[Images move through of recycling moving through on a conveyer belt, crushed aluminium cans, and then a close view of Rebecca talking to the camera]
So, we really need to find a simpler and better way. They contain a range of materials.
[Camera zooms out on Rebecca talking to the camera, and then the image changes to show a view of waste moving up a conveyer belt at a recycling centre]
So, you've got plastics, metals and of course the coffee grounds themselves.
[Images move through of waste moving through on a conveyer belt]
What's needed is a specialised recycling scheme that will deal with this range of products.
[Image changes to show Rebecca talking to the camera, and then the camera zooms out a little, and then the image changes to show the entrance to a Woolworths store, and text appears: Aluminium, plastic and compostable pods]
Planet Ark is establishing a National Product Stewardship Scheme to enable the recycling of all types of coffee pods, with the support of the coffee pod and retail industries.
[Images move through of coffee capsule collection points at the entrance to the store, Peter Bruce talking to the camera, and then the collection points at the front of the store, and text appears: Peter Bruce, Head of Waste to Resource, Woolworths]
Peter Bruce: Woolworths has got our 2025 sustainability goals, and part of our goals is that we can provide recycling opportunities for our customers.
[Images move through of customers moving past the collection points, Peter talking to the camera, a bank of collection bins, and a close view of the sign on the side of the collection point]
We've been engaging with the product stewardship scheme to provide coffee pod recycling, and we've got a number of stores where we're trialling that solution, and we've seen fantastic results.
[Images move through of Peter talking to the camera, and text appears: 300 kgs of coffee pods collected per month]
At our Crows Nest store here, we're seeing over 300 kilos of coffee pods collected every month, which is just amazing.
[Image changes to show a female customer putting coffee pods into the collection bins, and the camera zooms in on her hand dropping the coffee pods in]
Customers are so engaged. We can't do these solutions alone.
[Image changes to show the female customer walking away, and then the image changes to show Peter talking to the camera, and text appears: Solution from collection to recycling]
We need to work with product stewardship schemes, so across the whole supply chain, we've got a solution from collection right through to recycling.
[Images move through of banks of coffee pods stacked on shelves, and then the image changes to show Jean-Marc Dragoli talking to the camera, and text appears: Jean-Marc Dragoli, Business Executive Officer, Nespresso Oceania]
Jean-Marc Dragoli: The Nespresso scheme is a good example of how circular economy will work.
[Image changes to show a close profile view of Jean-Marc talking to the camera]
We have over 19,000 capsule collection points across four different recycling options.
[Images move through of a collection bin in a store, an Australia post satchel, and then a hand placing used capsules in the satchel and sealing the satchel]
Those options include recycling in our boutiques, our florist partners, bulk recycling kits, and Australia Post location using our special postal satchels.
[Images move through of used capsules moving along a conveyer belt, and the camera zooms in, and text appears: Coffee grounds and aluminium are separated]
Once in our system, used capsule are sent to our processing facility where the coffee grounds and the aluminium are separated.
[Images move through of a bale of crushed coffee pods falling out of a machine, a mound of coffee grounds, and then boxes of capsules stamped with “80% Recycled Aluminium” on the side]
Aluminium is sent back to producers for recycling and the grounds are used in commercial composting.
[Images move through of Jean-Marc talking to the camera, crushed coffee capsules with circular arrows on top, a Velosophy bicycle, a close view of the handlebars, and Jean-Marc holding up a pen]
We have a range of capsule that are themselves made from recycled aluminium, but it can be transformed into anything, from a Velosophy bicycle to a Caran d'Ache Pen.
[Image changes to show a side facing view of Jean-Marc talking to the camera]
We are working with the University of New South Wales to get the most out of this high quality aluminium here in Australia, helping Australian industry.
[Image changes to show Veena talking to the camera, and then images move through of red foamy material on a tray in a recycling centre, and then various samples of benchtop materials]
Prof Veena Sahajwalla: We're looking at waste materials that actually can be reformed and can be used in re-manufacturing and can therefore create value.
[Images move through of a table set with cutlery and crockery, a side table made from recycled material, and then coasters made from recycled material]
All kinds of materials can be brought back to life and reformed.
[Music plays and the image changes to show a “Recycled glass & coffee cups” sign on a piece of manufactured bench material]
[Images move through of a front end loader tipping into a hopper, waste material moving on a conveyer belt, and Rebecca talking to the camera, and text appears: One effective recycling solution for all pods]
Rebecca Gilling: We need to bring existing programmes under the umbrella of one effective solution so that all Australians know that they can recycle their coffee pods, regardless of which type they use.
[Images move through of waste products moving through on a conveyer belt, a view looking down on the conveyer belt in the recycling facility, and then Rebecca talking, and text appears: Planet Ark are uniting industry]
Planet Ark, with our partners, are uniting industry participants in the design of the scheme so that all Australians will have access to a recycling scheme that captures those valuable materials,
[Image changes to show a close view of Rebecca talking to the camera]
keeps them out of landfill, and gives all the environmental benefits that that action brings.
[Images move through of Trevor talking to the camera, Trevor walking past a Nespresso store, a close view of Trevor recycling a bag of coffee pod capsules, and a side view of Trevor talking]
Hon Trevor Evans MP: This is a win-win-win, where we can get great environmental outcomes, and great circular economy outcomes,
[Images move through of a man putting coffee pods into a collection bin, a close view of the coffee pods landing in the bin, and then Jean-Marc looking at a brick of crushed aluminium]
at the same time as we're growing a more sustainable, self-reliant manufacturing sector, here in Australia.
[Images move through of a close view of the aluminium brick, a Velosophy bicycle, Trevor talking to the camera, and a side facing view of Trevor talking to the camera, and text appears: We can all play a part]
These are the sorts of recycling schemes where we can all play a part and improve our recycling for items that can't just automatically go into the recycling bin.
[Music plays and the image changes to show text on a blue screen: PODcycle, Supported by The National Product Stewardship Investment Fund]
[New text appears: More Information, AWE.GOV.AU]
[Image changes to show the Coat of Arms and text appears: Australian Government, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment]