What happens to used water filter cartridges? Which components can be recycled or repurposed? How can we make the most of their constituent materials, while protecting the environment?

The Filter Recycling Program

The approach taken at BRITA is a case in point. The enterprise established a recycling program for its cartridges back in 1992⁠—the first of its kind in the industry.

The program is based on BRITA’s own recycling plant, including a regeneration system and integrated wastewater facility, located at its headquarters in Taunusstein, Germany. The plant processes filters from both the hospitality industry, i.e., the Professional range, and from private households. Ultimately, the majority of parts can be recycled, either internally at BRITA or externally by partners.

The goals are to avoid waste and to minimize the cartridges’ environmental impact, by reusing and repurposing components wherever possible. With these aims in mind, the program is constantly evolving and expanding. Over the past three decades, millions of depleted filters have already been put back to good use⁠—to the benefit of the environment, and us all.

How It Works: The First Step of the Process

*Closing the circle: Individual materials from the used cartridges can either be reused, recycled, or repurposed.*

The first step in bringing cartridges back into the material lifecycle is, quite simply, to collect them.

This is where baristas can help: Instead of disposing of the filters, they can gather them, e.g., in parcels or on pallets, or drop them off in the boxes at BRITA collection points. The exact process varies from country to country. In the UK alone, for example, there are over 1900 collection points. To cut emissions, the trucks used to ship new BRITA filters are the same ones taking the depleted cartridges back to Germany.

Back in Taunusstein, the second step is to separate the components⁠—i.e., the cartridges are broken down into their individual materials, which include plastic parts, ion-exchanger resin and activated carbon.

The Filter Cartridge Components

It is important to understand the various parts of a filter cartridge – what their purpose is, how they function, and whether the material can be recycled.

BRITA Professional’s PURITY and PURITY C ion-exchanger-based filters include, for instance, the ion-exchange resin, activated carbon, and a particle filter fleece inside the plastic cartridge.

The Ion Exchanger

In water, minerals and other substances dissolve into their constituent ions. Ion-exchange resins are highly effective at filtering out targeted ions – and, in turn, producing water with the desired properties.

Depending on the type of ion exchanger (e.g., cation- or anion-exchanging, acidic or alkaline), it can fulfil various functions: decarbonisation, softening, full demineralisation, and reducing metals, such as lead or copper.

The resin itself is made from certified food-grade material. As the name suggests, ion exchangers work by selectively exchanging an ion dissolved in water with an ion on the exchange resin. Eventually, the resin becomes exhausted, meaning the resin matrix is filled with the targeted ions, and no more reactions can take place.

The Activated Carbon

The activated carbon in the filter cartridges is made from natural coconut shells. The material has a high degree of microporosity and an enormous internal surface area. As a result, it can efficiently absorb a broad range of substances.

In particular, activated carbon improves water’s taste and aroma, reduces chlorine and chlorine compounds, reduces organic impurities, and increases clarity.

The Particle Filter

The particle filter is also aptly named⁠—it traps particulate matter, simply through mechanical (as opposed to chemical) means. The particles accumulate on the filter surface, and within the filter fleece.

Specifically, the fleece removes matter, such as rust and limescale, as well as organic materials, such as fibers.

How the Component Materials Are Recycled

Each of these materials must be processed separately. At BRITA’s regeneration plant, the filter cartridges are opened, and the activated carbon and ion-exchange resin beads removed.

Most of the plastic parts are made of a blend of polypropylene (PP) and fiberglass; the container and the PP sieve can be ground down to create feedstock for new products, such as buckets, lawn chairs, park benches and more.

The exhausted ion-exchangers resin can be regenerated in-house at BRITA. This process involves a backwash, the addition of a regenerant solution, rinsing and drying. Depending on the material mixture, 60 to 100% of regenerated ion-exchanger resin is incorporated into new BRITA cartridges. In 2019 alone, 1.5 million liters of resin were revived and used in PURITY C150 units. And recycling does not mean compromising⁠—the recovered material has all the properties and the same high quality of entirely new resin.

Other activities are completed off-site, by external partners. The carbon, for example, is returned to BRITA’s original supplier. They then reactivate the carbon, and reuse it. Although the reactivated carbon can no longer be employed for food-grade products, it can still be reused, e.g., in commercial wastewater treatment.

Finally, a small volume of materials is currently unrecyclable. This includes welded parts of the cartridge cover that cannot be separated out, and the particle filter fleece, which cannot be cleaned. Instead of ending up in landfills, these components are incinerated to produce heat. The energy recovered from this process can then be utilized in place of conventional fossil fuels.

Part of a Broader, Greener Mindset

Now, more than ever, it is vital to prioritize the reuse of materials, to avoid waste wherever possible, and to choose high-quality recycling over other forms of disposal. Giving materials a second life conserves precious natural resources. These efforts⁠—in addition to, e.g., reusing grey water, reducing virgin plastic, introducing renewable electricity, and shrinking product carbon footprints⁠—are all part of a broader effort that companies need to make.

And as this example shows, these efforts can quickly add up. They can help make a difference.

Inventor of the household water filtration jug in 1966, BRITA produces and distributes a wide range of innovative drinking water optimization solutions for private and commercial use. To learn how BRITA’s technology supports coffee professionals by providing control over one of brewed coffee’s main ingredients, visit www.brita.net. BRITA: Water is our element.

Recycle. Reuse. Recover.