Trial coffee pod, textile and electrical recycling scheme to end in November

The scheme, which began in July 2021, enabled residents in the trial area to book door-step collections of used coffee pods, as well as small waste electrical items and textiles.

Coffee pod collections were funded by the nationwide, not-for-profit coffee pod recycling service, Podback, which has made the decision to end funding for the scheme as part of a national review and evolution of its service.

At a meeting on Tuesday 2 September, Chichester District Council's Cabinet decided that the trial should end following the discontinuation of funding, and that residents should be directed to use alternative recycling methods.

Residents will be able to continue to recycle their coffee pods through Podback's range of drop-off options, which include selected supermarkets, and at recycling centres in Chichester and Midhurst, which will be available once the pod collection service comes to an end.

Registered Podback users will be contacted directly with further details of the changes and how to continue recycling with Podback, over the coming weeks.  

Councillor Mark Chilton, Cabinet Member for Finance, Corporate Services and Contract Services at Chichester District Council says: "Following Podback's decision to remove the funding for their coffee pod collection trial, we needed to review the service as a whole. We know that methods such as textile banks are very successful, and so we felt that the best way for people to recycle these items is through community drop-off points. In addition, we'll also be looking at what further collection opportunities can be promoted in future. I would urge people to continue recycling as many of these items of possible."

For small electrical and textile recycling, there are a number of different ways to continue to recycle these items. If the items are in good condition, people are encouraged to consider donating these to one of the many charities in the district where they can find a new home. Some of these even offer a free, bookable kerbside collection.

Where an item is damaged or broken, residents are encouraged to take advantage of one of the various repair cafes located in West Sussex to see if the item can be repaired. People can find more information on The Big Fix - West Sussex Recycles web page (opens new window). Where items cannot be repaired, these can be taken to one of the local recycling centres where they will be recycled where possible.

The coffee pod, small electrical and textile kerbside collection service will end on 28 November 2025.

Residents can continue to book collections online up until this date. We will keep our webpage updated with information on how residents can continue to recycle their coffee pods, small electricals and textiles using alternative methods.

For more information visit the Chichester District Council Waste and Recycling web pages.

Date of release: 3 September 2025

Reference: 4514