Coffee is of course an agricultural product and when we drink it we are only using less than 10% of it's total organic ingredients. Therefore we want to send as little coffee grounds as possible to landfill.
That's why we are a founding partner of Coffee 4 Planet Ark, a program designed to create as little coffee waste as possible. Talk to us about participating in this grounds breaking program and have your coffee grounds collected recycled and repurposed.
In 2016, with the support of the City of Sydney, Planet Ark released a feasibility study into the collection and recycling of spent coffee grounds (SCG). This report showed that 93% of spent coffee grounds are sent to landfill with only 7% being repurposed or recycled.
Spent coffee grounds are an important resource, rich in nutrients and minerals which are currently being wasted in landfill. Many different uses for SCG are being explored around the world, from odor busting clothing to bio-diesel.
it's important to re-purpose SCG to make use of this fantastic resource and avoid the methane produced when sent to landfill. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, over 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide, and is created when organic materials break down without the presence of oxygen in landfill.
Over this trial Planet Ark in partnership with Map Coffee, TATA Global Beverages and other founding partners;
--Repurposed over 14 tonnes of spent coffee grounds. This is equivalent to re-purposing the grounds from over 550,000 coffees.
--Saved over 8.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent from entering the atmosphere.
Planet Ark are now working with the industry to fund research and development to find a high-value end-use for coffee grounds. This development will allow us to develop a sustainable collection system with the important goal of keeping coffee grounds from landfill. Please read the full trial report for more information.
COFFEE 4 PLANET ARK TRIAL PROJECT REPORT
Upcoming Initiatives
Recycling coffee bean bags
Recycling Hessian Bags
