Hertfordshire residents with a liking for barista-style coffee are drinking tonnes of it at home – and turning to the county council to help them recycle.

Following a trial last year, all 16 of the authority's recycling centres now offer coffee pod recycling containers.

According to a report presented to county councillors on Tuesday (December 16), more than 11 tonnes of the pods have been collected since April.

Once collected, the plastic and aluminium pods can be recycled to make new products. The used coffee grounds are extracted and used to make soil improver.

Following a meeting of the council's environment, transport and growth cabinet panel on Tuesday, a spokesperson for the county council welcomed the take-up of the service by Hertfordshire residents.

"We're very pleased that so many of Hertfordshire's coffee drinkers have taken up the option to recycle their coffee pods at our recycling centres since we introduced the service last autumn.

"This is 11 tonnes of useful material that is being re-used instead of going to waste, with the plastic and aluminium being used to make new products, and the coffee grounds being used to make soil improver and generate renewable energy.

"We are always looking for innovative recycling methods which highlight our commitment to lead on sustainable waste management and demonstrate our ambition to send zero waste to landfill by 2030."

Overall latest data shows that the centres – which segregate 37 different materials for recycling, reuse or recovery- are visited by 1.5 million residents a year.

In 2024/25, the latest data shows that 86,226 tonnes of waste were collected across the network, which is 6.5% higher than the year before.

All sites now collect vapes separately, which reduces the risk of fires at waste facilities.

New arrangements for the management of small amounts of asbestos have been put in place at centres in Ware and Welwyn Garden City.

"The new service offers a financial saving while ensuring that the council supports residents with an option for asbestos-containing materials from their homes," says the report presented to the cabinet panel.