South Derbyshire District Council is ending its weekly kerbside coffee pod recycling service in Swadlincote, Derbyshire, with the final collections set for February 2026. The change comes as the council prepares for the UK government’s ‘Simpler Recycling’ reforms, which require weekly food waste collections for all households in England by 31 March 2026.
Residents in the district have until the week commencing 2 February 2026 to put out their final Podback bags for collection. Any Podback bags presented for collection from the week commencing 9 February 2026 will not be collected as part of the kerbside service.
According to South Derbyshire District Council, the shift is necessary to free up staff and vehicles for the mandatory weekly food waste collections due under the Simpler Recycling reforms. The council and Podback say they are transitioning coffee pod recycling to a drop-off model and leveraging an expanded national network of recycling points at supermarkets and recycling centres.
People who want to continue recycling their coffee pods will need to take them to a local drop-off point, such as the Swadlincote Household Waste Recycling Centre. Local drop-off points also include Morrisons stores (where free Podback bags are available at customer service desks) and some Asda locations via the Asda toYou parcel service. Residents should use the Podback Recycle Checker to find exact drop-off locations.
South Derbyshire was one of the first authorities in the UK to trial the scheme in 2021 (initially launched alongside Cheltenham), and since then residents have recycled more than 53 tonnes of pods. Free Podback bags for the drop-off system can be picked up at Morrisons customer service desks or ordered from the Podback website.
