From coffee to compost

Many may not think twice about coffee grounds that are left in the coffee maker, but for a team of volunteers in Austin, Texas, recycling these for the community – and the environment – made sense. Last year, A&M AgriLife Extension Service of Travis County and Compost Coalition set up Ground to Ground, a not-for-profit programme that aims to reuse coffee grounds as fertiliser.

The slightly acidic characteristic of the grounds make for good compost, according to Daphne Richards, AgriLife Extension agent for horticulture in Travis County. With a high nutritional value, it provides plants with nitrogen, potassium and phosphorous, as well as calcium and copper.

The group has been rallying convenience stores, coffee houses and restaurants to join the programme. Since it was established, Ground for Ground has 20 locations where customers can get their share of compost. Each customer is given up to 4 gallons of compost in a used food container.

Benefits all

Will Stewart, a co-owner of the East Village Café, participates in the programme to help his neighbourhood. He has seen first-hand how the compost helps his kale and zinnias grow. “We have a lot of what I would call ‘urban farmers’ around here, as well as people who come in on a regular basis and get free coffee grounds for their patio plants and home landscapes. It’s a great feeling to know that we’re providing our customers with something that literally goes back into the community.”

Mallory Alison, owner of Vintage Heart Coffee, sees her contribution to the programme as economic.

“I had contacted some waste management services around town and they all wanted to charge me for picking up and disposing of my used coffee grounds,” she said. “I’d already paid for the coffee once, so I didn’t see the reason for paying for it again. When I found out about the Ground to Ground programme, I saw it as a win-win situation.”

Heather-Nicole Hoffman of the Compost Coalition, said Ground to Ground helps meet the goals of the Zero Waste Plan adopted by the city of Austin.

“The city of Austin is trying to eliminate waste citywide by the year 2040, and we see our programme having a positive impact toward reaching that goal. We’re already diverting more than eight tonnes of waste in the form of coffee grounds from area landfills each month. Imagine how much more that will be as others become  Ground to Ground participants.” Ms Hoffmann added that people can work together to turn organic trash into something useful to reduce landfill.

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