Coffee capsules and pods: new rules for recycling come into force on 12 August

Millions of Italians will continue to throw away their full coffee capsules without emptying them, just as they do today. What will change, from 12 August 2026, is not the action itself but the tool that drives it: a label.

From that date, Regulation (EU) 2025/40, the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), comes into force in Italia, revising the rules on packaging across all Member States. It is a regulation, not a directive: it applies directly, without the need for national transposition.

For the coffee sector, the main change is of a legal nature: capsules and pods are, for the first time, formally classified as ‘packaging’, even though they still contain coffee residues at the time of disposal. It will therefore not be necessary to empty them: on this point, the practice already widespread in many local authorities – where capsules and pods are already disposed of with their contents – now has an explicit legal basis.

What is actually changing is the information provided to the public. At present, the disposal instructions printed on capsules and pods often vary from one manufacturer to another and from one local authority to another. From 12 August, environmental labelling will be harmonised across Europe, with standardised and recognisable messages: aluminium or plastic capsules should be placed in the collection bin specified by the manufacturer and your local council, as is already the case for tins; certified compostable pods and capsules should be placed in the organic waste bin, where permitted; any separable components — such as tabs or wrappers — will be individually identified with their own material code and specific disposal instructions, a detail that is often missing from current labelling. However, local collection rules remain subject to the provisions of the local council or the service provider, which retains the final say.

The system is based on shared responsibility across three levels. Manufacturers will be required to design capsules and pods that are increasingly recyclable and to establish a coding system to identify materials. Conai, the national packaging consortium, works with companies to ensure that collection and recovery schemes operate effectively. Consumers remain responsible for disposing of items correctly, following the instructions on the label.