What is the difference between aluminium or plastic pods and E.S.E. pods?

The main difference between aluminium or plastic pods and E.S.E. pods is the material used for their production, their compatibility with coffee machines, and their composting capacity. Aluminium or plastic pods are designed to work with specific coffee machines manufactured by the same brand as the pods, or with compatible dispensing systems; some aluminium or plastic pods may be recycled, however they often require to separate the aluminium and plastic parts. E.S.E pods are mainly made of compressed paper and filters, which makes them mostly compostable, and they are designed to be compatible with different E.S.E coffee machine brands available on the market, based on the 44 mm diameter size standard.