Westchester County residents can now drop used Nespresso capsules and small aluminum items like bottle caps into their curbside recycling bins alongside their regular recyclables.
The change comes from a new partnership between Westchester County, Nespresso and the Glass Packaging Institute. The program covers more than 900,000 residents served by the county's Refuse Disposal District, which includes Westchester villages such as Bronxville, Scarsdale and Eastchester.
Until now, small aluminum pieces often slipped through sorting equipment at recycling facilities. The county's Material Recovery Facility in Yonkers has added new technology to capture those items and route them back into use.
"Expanding curbside recycling to include Nespresso capsules and other small, non-ferrous aluminum items helps capture more valuable resources and keep additional waste out of landfills," County Executive Ken Jenkins said in a Sept. 20 statement.
The partnership also includes the International Aluminium Institute and the US Aluminum Association. According to the International Aluminium Institute, close to 8 million metric tons of aluminum go uncollected worldwide each year, with 58% of it from packaging.
Vincent Kopicki, commissioner of the Westchester County Department of Environmental Facilities, said the partnership strengthens the county's ability to recover aluminum that was previously missed while making recycling simpler for households.
Westchester already posts a recycling rate above 50% each year, compared with the statewide rate of 43%, according to an April 2026 Parks and Environment committee discussion. The county has cut waste by 27% since 2005, equal to about 140,000 tons a year, and is working toward New York State's goal of 85% diversion by 2050.
Place used Nespresso capsules and other small aluminum items in the curbside recycling bin alongside glass, plastic and metal. More details are available at the county's Department of Environmental Facilities website.
Upcoming community events
- Friday, Sept. 25: Concordia pianist opens "Silenced Voices" concert.
- Friday, Oct. 9: Deadline to nominate students for Westchester Youth Service Awards.
