Newsletter contributor Hyun-Soo Hong shares what he has learned about disposing of coffee grounds.
I am a coffee enthusiast (but not a coffee snob!). I buy whole green coffee beans, roast them myself, grind them, and make my favorite coffee. I’ve tried more than 30 different beans from all over the world and spent a lot of time tweaking my roasting techniques. Each coffee bean is unique, and you need to adjust your technique accordingly. I am anxiously waiting for the warmer weather so that I can make my favorite pour-over iced coffee.
Do you know what to do with used coffee grounds and filters? I used to put the spent coffee grounds in a container and then put them in the refrigerator to minimize food odor. When the container was full, I put the grounds into a compost bin. I wondered if this was the best form of disposal. After doing some research, here's what I learned:
- The most environmentally friendly way to dispose of used coffee grounds is indeed to put them in the compost bin. Used coffee beans provide necessary nutrients for the compost, like nitrogen. A study done by National Institute of Health showed that composting with coffee grounds reduces emissions and provides better performance benefits to organic farming.
- The easiest way to dispose of used coffee grounds is to use them directly as fertilizer, especially on acid-loving plants like roses and azaleas. Spread thinly for best results. This can also improve water retention and soil aeration. You will likely have more grounds than you need for this method.
- You can also use used coffee grounds as an odor neutralizer.
If you use coffee filters made of natural, unbleached paper, it is recommended to dispose them through composting or in your municipal green waste can. Filters made of bleached paper or synthetic materials need to be disposed of in the trash can.
Here's what my wife and I do with used coffee grounds. We have a small garden bed for growing vegetables. We first make a mix of used coffee grounds, crumbled eggshells, and dried banana peel in a 1:1:1 ratio. Then we add this mix to soil that we bought from the nursery. We’ve tried this mix for a few years, and it works well for us!
There are a few things NOT to do with used coffee grounds. The first is not to pour them down the sink as they can cause clogs and blockages. They can also damage your garbage disposal and be costly to repair! The second is not to dump used coffee grounds in the waste bin.
I don’t use coffee pods, but I see people throwing used coffee pods in the trash can at the office. The responsible way to dispose of pods is to peel off the lid and remove the coffee grounds. Dispose of the grounds as mentioned above. If your pods are made of No.1 or No. 5 plastics, you can empty, rinse, and put them in your recycling bin.
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