I am going to teach you how to make a pod coffee maker waste bin that is extremely simple but very effective. It is so simple that I doubted whether to do a tutorial or not, because it is not a step by step, it is a single step. But I love these day-to-day solutions that anyone can do with everyday objects
But what is clear is that everyone who has a capsule coffee machine, in my case the Dolce Gusto, cannot throw the capsule in the trash for various reasons. Because we pollute and because it is emptying little by little and the garbage is dripping.
You will love our DIY dehumidifier
How to make a waste bin with a plastic bottle
I have a drainer made with a half liter Coca Cola bottle and it has the perfect measure.
You just have to cut it to a reasonable height as you see in the image.
And put the part of the cap down. I can fit 2 capsules that are emptied there. Due to the shape of the bottle, any type of capsule, of any brand, fits perfectly.
The benefits of this bin are:
- it is very simple and cheap
- cleans very easily
- It is used for all types of capsules (Dolce Gusto, Nespresso, Tassimo, etc)
If you want something more developed. A drainer with a certain design that does not clash in your kitchen see the following sections with some designed for 3D printers or brand products
Large coffee capsule drainer
For this we can use a normal and ordinary container, but I recommend the Apetina of Arla cheese (on Amazon). I use that container for a thousand things.
- To catch fish in the tank while I clean it
- to let the pots drain after watering
- and for coffee capsules
So as is ugly but with a coat of gray, black paint or whatever you like, it looks great.
I can’t show you mine because we are in confinement and I don’t have them here.
But if you look it is the same as the commercial draining boards that I leave below.
3D printed drainers
They are very good. There are some very ingenious and many others that are like the bottle that I have used but printed in 3D.
The advantage is that you have a more beautiful accessory. The downside is that you have to have a 3D printer or ask someone you know to have one.
Here I leave results of drainers for Dolce Gusto on Thingiverse. From where you can download your design and print it
Commercial draining boards
You always have the option of looking for an accessory in stores and buying them. There are not many, but some you find. It is the option that I like the least, but I leave it in case it helps you. Or in case it helps you get inspired and create something.
Empty homemade capsules
This is an idea that I have in mind for a long time. It consists of making with nails, or some cutting surface, a tool that quickly pierces the capsule and empties it instantly.
Instead of letting it drip, empty it in a second or two.
How to recycle capsules
Here I would like to differentiate between the large-scale recycling of companies and the recycling that we can do individually.
On a massive level
Although some companies put points to collect capsules and recycle them, the reality is that most capsules go to the garbage and that the recycling from which they are recovered is quite complex.
Individual level
We can reuse the plastic ones, for different crafts, but in the end we will have to end up throwing them away, so it is only a way to lengthen the problem.
In the Nespresso aluminum capsules we could still separate the aluminum and melt them. to use this aluminum in some experiment. They are NOT great solutions, it is not a product that I like to do anything.
I would not use these types of coffee machines.
The problem of capsules and the environment
That single-dose coffee machines have become an environmental problem is nothing new.
Millions of capsules are used daily. 9 grams of each capsule 6 grams are coffee and 3 grams of wrapping or packaging. When packing such small quantities we need much more material than if we package 1 kg of coffee.
To pack 1 kg of coffee we need about 110 capsules, and that is an environmental problem without a doubt.
Because both Aluminum and plastic Nespresso are difficult to recycle because they are attached to the filter. And especially since a large part of the capsules go to the garbage.
Capsules vs Espresso machine
If you don’t want to use single-dose capsules, you have the traditional Italian coffee maker. If you don’t like it, you think you have to wait too long, because you also have the option of buying espresso machines
The advantages of the Expresso in addition to the quality of the coffee, is that you use the ground coffee, with which the problem of the capsules disappears.