Rye and Harrison residents can now toss used Nespresso coffee capsules and small aluminum bottle caps into their regular curbside recycling bins.

Westchester County announced Monday, Sept. 21, a partnership with Nespresso and the Glass Packaging Institute that expands what the county's curbside program accepts. The change is effective immediately for more than 900,000 residents served by the county's Refuse Disposal District, which covers 36 municipalities and about 90% of the county's population.

No separate bin or drop-off is required. Residents place the small aluminum items in the same bin they already use for glass, plastic, metal and other commingled recyclables.

The county's Material Recovery Facility in Yonkers will process the items using new sorting technology that captures small aluminum pieces previously lost during processing. Glass Packaging Institute President Scott DeFife said smaller recyclable metals, plastics and paper are often lost at the initial sort and end up mixed into glass recycling material. The institute recently created a Small Format Coalition to improve sorting and recovery of small packaging across municipal systems.

County Executive Ken Jenkins called the expansion an example of public-private cooperation. Commissioner Vincent Kopicki of the Westchester County Department of Environmental Facilities said the partnership "strengthens our ability to recover valuable aluminum that may have previously been missed, while making recycling simpler and more convenient for households across the County."

The program follows similar Nespresso-backed curbside efforts in New York City and Jersey City, according to a Nespresso press release. Nespresso said its Original capsules are made from 80% recycled aluminum, and 88% of its Vertuo capsules contain 85% recycled aluminum.

Westchester already recycles at a higher rate than the state average. First Deputy Commissioner Louis Vetrone told a county committee in April 2026 that the county consistently posts a recycling rate above 50%, compared to New York State's 43%. Vetrone said the county has reduced waste by 27% since 2005, equal to 140,000 tons per year.

The county is working toward the state target of 85% waste diversion by 2050. Separately, the Rye City Council asked City Manager Brian Shea in July 2026 to study the feasibility and costs of bringing back a curbside food scrap recycling program.

Residents can find more information about the county's recycling programs at environment.westchestercountyny.gov.