Coffee grounds

[Southern Gardener]

Starbucks is now saving their grounds for gardeners! I've gone twice and picked up 3 and 4 bags at a time and added them to my compost. I added my garden remains, shredded paper, kitchen scraps, grass clippings, dried leaves and coffee grounds. I checked on it last night and it is smoking hot! In the spring I'll add it to the newest part of my herb garden.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Is that packaging compostable? If not they are probably adding more to the landfill than they are saving.

I also compost all my coffee grounds. It's a great addition to the compost pile. You should take advantage of opportunities when you can.

 

[gardentoad]

Is that packaging compostable? If not they are probably adding more to the landfill than they are saving.

I also compost all my coffee grounds. It's a great addition to the compost pile. You should take advantage of opportunities when you can.

We called the store in ft.smith, and they said that to save the grounds is a Heath hazard, course I can't see why if they are putting them back in those foil bags. Also if someone doesn't get them in a couple of days they can always chuck them like before..
Well at any rate they did agree to save them for us, if we get them every couple of days.


Don

 

[Southern Gardener]

I did ask Starbucks if the bags can be recycled, and no they can't. I suggested they come up with a recyclable bag. :/

gardentoad - why are they a health hazard - I haven't heard that before.

 

[Rhodie Ranch]

They've been doing that for over 6 years out here. Many of the stores simply place them back into the bags the beans came from. or they put them in plastic can liners.

The early bird gets the worm around here on them.

 

[gardentoad]

I did ask Starbucks if the bags can be recycled, and no they can't. I suggested they come up with a recyclable bag. :/

gardentoad - why are they a health hazard - I haven't heard that before.

Not sure on the Heath hazard,I can only guess that they don't really want to save them and that is an easy cop out..I have run into that kind of thinking many time.
Just got back and was told, no one told me to save them. Will try again next time I'm in town..maybe during the week would be better.

Don

 

[Southern Gardener]

I'd get on their website and e-mail the corporate office - they are quick to respond. I think maybe there has to be a demand for them because last year they didn't bag them up and people were always coming in asking for them. Now they put them in bags and place them in a bucket with a "Grounds for your Garden" sign for anyone to take. Their website does says they save grounds for gardeners so maybe the store near you just needs a reminder!

 

[ninnymary]

Here in Alameda they have been putting them in the same bags the beans came in and place them by the door in a garbage can. They have been doing this for years. We go to Peets, their competitor, but there you have to ask for them.

Mary

 

[Veggie PAK]

Starbucks seems to be changing their interest level in gardeners using the coffee grounds, at least around here. Downtown Starbucks used to have a waste basket with plastic garbage bags of coffee grounds in it. They have since stopped that practice and now you have to ask for them because enough people weren't taking them.

I have a large composting area in my back yard as I have a large garden in a large city. From January to April of 2010, I picked up the coffee grounds almost daily for my compost pile.

In that three months +/-, I put 2,047 pounds of coffee grounds from Starbucks on my compost pile and tracked it on my spreadsheets. The heaviest trash bag (they doubled bags due to weight) weighed 35 pounds. That breaks down to an average of 26.58 pounds per bag of coffee grounds that I had picked up, as there were 77 bags. I had a hanging scale with an "S" hook on it set up and I weighed everything from outside my home that was brought into my composting area. Leaves and grass clippings were also included in separate categories.

I admit that I'm really committed to composting since I read that in a small garden area you can eliminate crop rotation if you anually apply cured compost at a rate of six each, 5 gallon bucketfuls per 100 square feet. I have been doing that and I don't rotate my crops and they seem to do pretty well if the weather is cooperating.

I prepared an entire blog post on the evolution of my composting area as it turned out to be a lengthy endeavor. If you would like to go directly to it for a visit, just click on the link below:

http://backyardorganicvegetables.blogspot.com/2011_02_01_archive.html

So far, everyone has liked what they read/saw and found it informative.

Sources like starbucks are excellent for the benefits to gardeners such as ourselves (all readers of this). The more people access their materials, the more receptive they will be to provide a nutrient source for our gardens without charge. Even the lawn benefits from coffee grounds. The worms love them and they aerate the soil for you and you have greener lawns, maybe from the worm poop! I hope everyone takes advantage of the availablity of free coffee grounds from Starbucks.

Edited to add "anually".

 

[Smiles Jr.]

I meet with "the guys" every Tuesday morning at 6:30 AM at The Hobo Hut, a mom-n-pop hole-in-the-wall restaurant where we always solve all the world's problems, and they save a 5 gal. bucket of grounds for me every week. We don't have a Starbucks anywhere near here. I provide a clean bucket and lid every week. They also put egg shells in there at my request. I made a heavy duty homebrew food (or junk) processor with an electric motor, an 8" lawn edger blade, and a 20 gal. steel drum to pulverize chunks of compost materials. I put the egg shells in there for a minute and they come out the consistency of corn meal. I give the chickens some and the compost pile some every week.