Starbuck used coffee grounds

Karmacat

I've seen several mentions on this forum recently that Starbucks branches will recycle ther used coffee grounds, either on a one off basis to individuals who ask, or regularly make up big sacks. I went in to one of my local Starbucks, and they're willing to make up a bag for me as an individual, but I realised I could do something both green and moneysaving on a bigger scale. I've been looking for a green project locally, and I think this could be it.

My thought so far is to get each branch to collect their grounds in a bin/black plastic sack or something, and take it each day/every other day/whatever to a recycling area, probably owned by the local council - it could then either be composted or collected by local gardeners/allotment hoolders/used by the council.

I'd like feedback, please, on what happens where. If you could answer the following questions, I'd be really grateful:
- how does your local Starbucks recycle?
- what town is it in?

If you can think of anything else relevant, please feel free to post.

crazy_chick_573

this is a very interesting topic i don't have a starbucks but i went into caffe nero in huddersfield and they were rather rude and wouldn't directly answer my questions on the matter!

Optimist

I fear your council might consider this to be trade waste and try to charge for it. The last Starbucks I went into was at a Borders bookshop just outside Leeds and I noticed they had packs of used coffee grounds for customers to take for free,

comicmankev

If you want to do the good deed (which sounds like a great idea!), then get the bags and offer them on freecycle. You're bound to get rid of them very easily on there.

Karmacat

Thanks for the responses so far

crazy chick: good grief. Hard to understand these days, when there are so many small scale initiatives. I'd thought the management might be quite reluctant, even tho the staff would be for it, but hadn't anticipated there might be *that* level of opposition.

optimist: oops! That never occurred to me (exactly why I posted on here, lol! I'm wondering about the cost to Starbucks of bagging up, but obviously some branches do that - how big are the bags, please, can you remember? That would be useful to know.

comicmankev - thanks for your feedback. Bagging it and offering it myself isn't really an option, to be honest. I live several miles away and don't have a car to get to it, but I could use my (currently stuffed with junk) garage as the recycling base, thats a thought, if they'd drop it off to me here, and then distribute it. Its interesting that you say 'get the bags' - maybe on freecycle itself, of course. What do you think? Others still welcome too!

Solomon_Broad

Places that deal with food waste have to careful these days what they do with it. At a *guess*, I'd say that Starbucks are recycling so they don't have to pay so much to get it taken away. I doubt it's due to any kind of altruism.

If you can't get it from them, TBH I can't see them bothering to take it to you. It's going to be easier for them just to pay someone to collect it all.

Try asking them how much waste they get in say one week, and then work out if you can store and get rid of that much within a week, before the next lot appears.

Karmacat

Oh I'm sure its not through altruism, lol! It *is* a stated policy of theirs, however, under Corporate Social Responsibility - nice local publicity for them, too, of course. As for them not bothering to take it to me, or at all out of their way, I agree with you. The branch right in the centre of town has a little council-run green patch 100 yards from them, and I could possibly see them taking it there in a wheelie bin on quiet days/at quiet times.

Thats a good idea to ask them how much waste per week etc - I'm gathering ammunition here!

Gingernutmeg

Hi, my local Starbucks (I live near about eight branches in South West London lol) all have the baskets filled with bags of used coffee grounds in the shops. To me it looks like they refill the used coffee bean bags with the grounds, at a guess I'd say they're probably kilo bags (although some places fill them more than others)? The baskets always empty quickly so it must be popular, I've taken a couple myself to mix in with the compost in my plant-pots.

Optimist

Karmacat wrote: »

Thanks for the responses so far
optimist: oops! That never occurred to me (exactly why I posted on here, lol! I'm wondering about the cost to Starbucks of bagging up, but obviously some branches do that - how big are the bags, please, can you remember? That would be useful to know.

I'm guessing but it would be about a kilo bag

Fen_2

For the organic gardeners out there - try liberally scattering the coffee grounds around your carrots, right through from the seed stage to when you pick them. The carrot fly can smell carrots up to 3 miles away, so the theory is that the coffe smells stronger, masking the carrot smell. Has this worked for anyone?

Sage

I often pick up a bag to feed to my worms or put on the veggie patch. Many a time they run out.