Used coffee grounds in landfill emit methane – a greenhouse gas 34 times stronger than carbon dioxide. Thankfully, they are also an excellent compost ingredient and can be emptied straight onto the soil surface. High in nitrogen, they also contain potassium and phosphorus.
Coffee shops in Aylsham are bagging them up for customers to take away.
Flour and Bean fill the bags the coffee beans come in and display them on the counter, usually two or three bags a day. Bread Source generates a large black bin bag of coffee grounds a week. This is sent back to their Norwich bakery where customers take it to their allotments. And Starbucks are also offering their customers the coffee dregs.
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- Bread Source
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- Flour & Bean
The Gardener’s World website says that the safest thing to do is to put the coffee grounds into your compost. Sprinkling them directly onto the soil is fine, just don’t always put it in the same place. Spread out the grounds, otherwise it can clog up and stop moisture from getting through.
Gardening Knowhow suggests mixing coffee grounds with water to create a liquid fertilizer. Plants that like coffee grounds include tomatoes, cabbage, soybeans, fruit trees, corn, roses and camellias. The bean family do not respond well to the nitrogen in the coffee.
If you have any other suggestions about how to use coffee grounds or know of other Aylsham cafes that reuse their coffee grounds, do let us know.
