Did You Know…Recycling coffee grinds can be re-used and recycled in sustainable, fun and innovative ways? We’ll tell you how
But first, here’s why it’s worth your while to start messing with those Coffee Grounds.
Sustainability, Green Marketing Halos & The Eco Savvy Consumer
If you are a café owner or thinking of investing in the business, one of the key concerns is reducing waste and sustainability. From the coffee beans you select, to the branded takeaway cups you stock right through to seasonal menu items and décor components such as up-cycled furniture and lighting.
Positioning Your Brand With Sustainability
Green choices are good for the environment, but also essential to positioning your business and a marketing halo opportunity beyond green-washing. Position your business as a forward thinking and eco conscious business leader.
Be Proactive & Resonate With Consumers
Modern consumers are so eco savvy,you will be conspicuous in your lack of effort in getting your brand up to scratch. Be proactive. This is an easy step and one of the few areas where you can be more energy and waste efficient.
Make a few extra bob
You heard it. By being a tad more creative, you could create a little sideline – whatever about reducing costs…
Ways To Re-Purpose, Re-Cycle, Up-Cycle Coffee Grounds
Coming from a nutrition, health & beauty and culinary background, one of my pet projects is coming up with create ways to recycle and re-imagine used coffee grinds. I actively grimace when I see used coffee grinds being dumped after the barista has crafted a superb cup of coffee.
The used grinds have so much more to give.
Create nicely packaged products to sell will reinvent coffee grinds as a useful and desirable product, not waste.
Food For Thought …and Compost
This is the most common use of used coffee grinds. There are companies in the UK who collect coffee grinds from business to recycle into compost.
Coffee grinds are fantastic at increasing the nitrogen levels in soil simply by mixing with compost and the soil. Coffee grinds have the added bonus of deterring pests and slugs as the acidity drives them away. Non chemical pest control is always a concern for gardeners trying to maintain a balanced ecosystem in their gardens.
- Create an area or table in your shops with one or two kilogram bags of coffee grinds packaged in brown paper or hessian bags. Charge a nominal fee of one or two euro.
- Or turn them into Giveaways! Leave them at the door and invite keen gardener’s to take them as compost. You’ve just reduced your waste collection bill and clocked up a Random Act of Kindness.
- Turn Coffee Grounds into Seed bombs and make this another product or a giveaway.
Create a DIY Caffeinated Home & Beauty Product
Coffee Grind Body Scrub
Did you know, you could make a coffee body scrub to banish winter skin and prepare for summer holidays? This is my favourite use of coffee grinds. It smell glorious in the shower and caffeine used topically on the skin helps to improve circulation. So great news for all those lumps and bumps we try and smooth out before summer.
Add sugar for a great abrasive texture and has natural antibacterial properties. Or Coconut oil for wonderful moisturising and anti-ageing.
Plus is sets solid so that the mixture stays homogenous.
Coffee as Natural Deodoriser
This is a well known natural remedy around the house. Simply place a bowl of coffee grinds in the fridge to absorb odours. Similarly, place some in an old pair of tights and deodorise a smelly car, pongy shoes and pet areas.
If you have been working with garlic or fish, use coffee grinds as a hand scrub to remove stubborn odours and stains.
You can get creative with this one and make a small deodoriser for cars to replace those awful cardboard trees. But do be sensitive in your marketing and packaging, the underlying message could read that you think your customers smell bad!
Here are a few More uses for Coffee Grounds
More Genius Recycling Ideas Here
How To Promote Your Sustainable Efforts
First Step? Educate your staff first.
Then shout about your good practices to your customers. How?
- Artistically designed signage
- Blog on your website about your changes
- Take pics and show off your latest changes on social channels.
- Story Blurbs on menus with your sustainable practices
So you see, plenty of inspiration here to turn your coffee grinds from waste to useful products.
– This useful missive was created by Rozanne Stevens
ABOUT ROZANNE STEVENS
Probably best known for her 5 year foodie slot on Today with Pat Kenny, Rozanne’s distinctive South African voice has been winging it’s way over the Irish airwaves for over 10 years with expert advice on food, cooking, nutrition, artisan foods, the global impact of food and international cuisines and cultures.
Rozanne published her first book, Delish, in 2011 in collaboration with Pat Kenny. A collection of the nations favourite recipes from the radio show. Her second book, Relish BBQ, went on to win a Gourmand World Cookbook award in 2014. Her third book, Make Ahead Mealz, is due to launch in September 2016.
A well known food journalist with over 350 nutrition based newspaper columns for the Irish Independent and other publications, Rozanne has a particular interest and expertise in the area of food and health. Currently completing her Masters’ degree in culinary nutrition, she is always up to speed with the latest research which she balances with practically and sensible strategies to help people implement a healthy lifestyle.
Twitter: @RozanneStevens
Insta: @RozanneStevens
