The European Commission has presented a draft regulation that would ban coffee capsules across Europe – unless they are biodegradable. Among other things, the draft European Packaging Regulation (PPWR) calls for single-serve coffee capsules to be marketed only if they are industrially compostable.
At the same time, the coffee industry and Green Dot have established a functioning recycling system for used coffee capsules in Germany, while there is no recycling system for so-called biodegradable capsules. These capsules are not accepted in organic waste. Green Dot provides a detailed statement on this subject.
You can find out more about the disposal of coffee capsules in Germany here.