Verdict
A handy way to reuse the coffee grounds from Vertuo pods, while recycling the waste more easily than directly with Nespresso. This handy bit of kit needs a bit of force to work, but it does a great job of pushing out coffee grinds, leaving the aluminium free for recycling.
Pros
- Simple to use
- Good value
- Helps you reuse coffee grounds
Cons
- Needs quite a bit of pressure
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CompatibilityWorks with Nespresso Vertuo capsules only.
Introduction
Nespresso will take back every Vertuo pod it sells, recycling them fully. It’s a handy and free service, but does rely on you storing up plastic recycling bags full of used capsules.
The Dualit EcoPress for Vertuo offers a different way, with home recycling the order of the day. Simple to use, it’s a handy way of recycling at home.
Design and performance
- Large bin
- Easy to rinse out
- Needs a fair bit of pressure
As with the Dualit EcoPress for the standard capsules, the Dualit EcoPress for Vertuo is a plastic device designed to push a Vertuo Pod inside out, spilling its used coffee grounds into the bin, leaving the aluminium shell for recycling.
You may be thinking, why bother? Well, filling up a recycling bag of your favourite Vertuo coffee pods needs storage somewhere, then you have to drop off the bags (or have them collected), and you don’t get to reuse the coffee grounds.
Far from a waste product, coffee grounds are suitable for feeding plants and can be used in a garden compost bin. With the Dualit EcoPress for Vertuo, you get to keep this waste while recycling the aluminium at the curbside.
Using the Dualit EcoPress for Vertuo is straightforward. Take a used capsule out and place it on top of the EcoPress.
Then you line up the plunger and press down hard on the lid, forcing the capsule to turn inside out. As Vertuo capsules are a bit bigger than the standard ones, I found that I needed a fair bit of force to use this EcoPress; more force than is required for the EcoPress for original Nespresso Capsules. Standing up and pushing down hard from above does the trick and once I’d got the technique right, I found that I could whizz through a series of capsules.
Once a capsule has been pushed through, I took it out and put it in the sink for a final rinse, and then I could drop it into standard household metal recycling.
The bin can hold coffee grounds for up to 20 Vertuo capsules. How many will depend on the capsules you use, as they come in different sizes, ranging from 40ml up to 535ml. It’s easy to see when the bin is full.
Once full, the bin can have its base removed and the contents emptied into a bin or, preferably, a compost bin. Washing with soapy water is recommended, although the EcoPress is also dishwasher safe, provided its parts are placed on the top rack and a sub 40°C wash is used.
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Should you buy it?
You want to reuse the coffee grounds
This is a great tool to make the waste product from Nespresso Vertuo pods useful.
You’re happy with the free recycling service
Nespresso will recycle all capsules that come back to them, which is easy and convenient for a lot of people.
Final Thoughts
If you can use the waste coffee grounds and put them to good use, then the Dualit EcoPress for Vertuo is a great tool. It’s also handy if you find the Nespresso recycling system a pain and don’t like having the plastic bags it requires around the house.
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FAQs
It works with any current Vertuo pod of any size. You can’t use this product with original Nespresso capsules.
