Can You Recycle An Old Nespresso Machine? Here's What You Need To Know

With both recyclable and compostable pods, along with a free recycling program that has spanned across 74 countries since its inception in Switzerland in 1991, Nespresso single-handedly pioneered the world of coffee capsules. While it has contributed to the popularization of the most unsustainable way of preparing coffee per a 2021 study published in Sustainable Production and Consumption, Nespresso has worked to incorporate environmental and social responsibility into its supply chain through its special Certified B Corp status. From the people and land that the beans come from to what the pods are made of to where they end up — it all goes for the Nespresso machines themselves, too. When it comes to the sustainability of Nespresso, or any other coffee capsule brand, much of the focus tends to be on the capsules themselves. 

But what a lot of people forget to consider are the actual machines. While your Nespresso machine should last you anywhere from five to 10 years before you start experiencing mechanical issues — depending on how well you look after it, of course — and you'll certainly get a lot more use out of it than you will the single-use coffee pods it runs on, it's not something you're going to want to just throw away. That much can be true regardless of if you bought the most expensive Nespresso machine or the least. Fortunately, Nespresso has a solution: its Relove program. With it, customers have the option to bring their old Nespresso machines back to Nespresso to be refurbished and sold at a discount. They'll even compensate you for it.

Next time you consider replacing your Nespresso machine with a different or newer model from the store, don't forget to bring your old Nespresso machine along with you. Through its Buy Back program, Nespresso will actually offer you a 20% discount on your new machine — all you have to do is fill out a form and hand over your old one. The same process can be completed over the phone, too, should you be shopping online. From there, the machine gets collected and brought to a Nespresso technician, who assesses whether or not it can be refurbished. If so, it gets a good cleanse and descaling before being repackaged and given a second life as a Relove machine. 

Relove machines come with a warranty and can be purchased online and in store just like any other Nespresso machine. The only difference is where they came from. Rather than being fresh from the factory, refurbished Relove machines come from consumer returns (as discussed above), but they could also have been used as a loaner machine, as a demo or test machine, a defective or damaged machine that's been repaired, or a machine that was simply exchanged for another. All of these circumstances are reflected in the machine's price — saving Nespresso customers money, but also saving the world from another machine sitting in a landfill. After all, there are enough Nespresso coffee pods there already, even with its recycling program in place.