How to Reuse Your Coffee Grounds

There’s a reason why barista courses in Melbourne are some of the best indoor activities to try in the coffee capital of Australia. From its thriving cafe culture to its coffee festivals and expos, there’s no denying that if you’re a coffee lover in Melbourne, you’re in the right place. 

But after you've learned how to make the best coffee and sat down to enjoy that velvety flavour and hit of caffeine, what do you do with the coffee grounds? It's something many people don't think about, but it's important to consider. From keep cups to reusable pods, trendy cafes and coffee lovers in Melbourne are looking to make coffee more sustainable. That's where we come in! To learn how to make the best barista style coffee at home, try a Melbourne coffee making class, to learn how to reuse coffee grounds, read on.

Where does coffee waste end up now?

Most of us don’t think twice about throwing our coffee grounds into the bin or rinsing them down the sink. Unfortunately, there are negative environmental impacts that we should be considering. According to the Australian-based environmental organisation, Plant Ark, just over 90 per cent of coffee grounds end up in landfill. What’s more, an average cafe can produce around 60 kilograms of coffee grounds per week.

You might be asking yourself, “What’s the big issue with coffee grounds ending up in a landfill? It’s an organic material, right? Won’t it just break down?” The big issue is that when coffee grounds end up in landfills, they produce methane, a greenhouse gas more damaging than carbon dioxide. Coffee grounds in landfills also contribute what are known as leachates, potentially toxic liquid runoff from landfills.

Another way to look at coffee grounds in landfills is as a wasted resource. When coffee grounds are recycled effectively, they can be used to create energy-rich, diverse, and nutritious soil. By using coffee grounds that we already have at our disposal, we reduce our reliance on manufactured, mined, or imported fertiliser.

Find out why barista courses make great team building activities here.

7 creative ways you can reuse your coffee grounds

Don’t worry, no one is saying that we should stop drinking coffee altogether and switch to green tea. We can still enjoy our daily coffee and our barista training workshops in Melbourne and coffee-flavoured ice cream, however, we can make a big impact when we make the choice to be more mindful of our coffee ground waste. Here are a few creative ideas that we can all incorporate into our normal coffee routines:

1.   Compost it

Composting coffee grounds is a great use for old coffee grounds! As long as you don’t overdo it (coffee has a lot of acid), the grounds can offer a good amount of nitrogen for your compost pile.

2.  Sprinkle it around your property

Coffee grounds can ward off feral cats and they can also be used in your garden to keep out snails and slugs.

3. Introduce coffee grounds in your DIY projects

 Coffee can create a beautiful, affordable wood stain for your next furniture project. It can also be used to give your furniture an antique look.

4. Use them as a deodoriser 

When coffee grounds are dry, they do an excellent job absorbing odours around your home. You can mix coffee grounds with baking soda to make their odour-eliminating powers even stronger. Not only will your coffee grounds deodoriser cancel out bad smells, but you’ll have that pleasant fresh coffee smell all-around your home. 

Some good places for a coffee ground deodoriser could be the back of the fridge, your bedroom, the bathroom, your shoe closet, or really anywhere else that could use a good freshening up. One thing to keep in mind is that you’ll want to replace the coffee grounds about once a week for maximum effectiveness.

5. Clean with it and minimise elbow grease

You can use coffee grounds for caked-on grime, dirt and other residue in the kitchen and bathroom, coffee grounds can be helpful. Just like a scrubbing pad, coffee grounds can help you tackle the hardest-to-remove messes in your kitchen and bathroom.

6. Make a candle with them

Put those coffee grounds in a candle - ever tried making your own candles? You can make them even more tasty-smelling with recycled coffee grounds. Discover your coffee scent at local barista courses and make sure your candles smell the best they can be.

7. Make natural body products 

Pamper yourself with a coffee ground face and body scrub - coffee grounds are wonderfully exfoliant and will make your skin feel amazing. Simply mix one cup of your leftover coffee grounds with a fourth of a cup of sugar, a spoonful of cinnamon, and a half cup of body oil (or coconut oil). You can also add a sprinkle of coffee grounds to your shampoo as a hair exfoliant, as well!

Still have leftover coffee grounds?

If you’re still feeling guilty about the waste from your daily latte art habit, don’t fret. Talk to people in your community to ask if anyone could use your leftover coffee grounds. Families who don’t drink coffee might love the chance to get a boost of nitrogen in their compost pile.

Another alternative could be to have your coffee grounds and the coffee grounds of other families in your neighbourhood recycled by an organisation. There are a few recycling companies in Melbourne, like Reground, who specialise in coffee ground collection and composting. Although many companies focus on corporate recycling, now is the time to get active and start requesting options for individual coffee drinkers.

Start your own coffee ground upcycling business

If you’re inspired to take your coffee ground recycling even further, you can find a list of some of the most interesting uses for coffee grounds so far from the Barista Institute in Helsinki. Everything from designer clothing and shoes to furniture, to coffee cups, and art, there are entrepreneurs, artists, and engineers looking for new ways to use coffee grounds. And there are already entrepreneurs doing this kind of work right here in Australia! Textura is a Melbourne-based furniture and lighting design store that stocks Spanish designer Raul Lauri’s range of home decor made from recycled coffee grounds. They sell bowls, light fixtures, jewellery and candle holders that are as environmentally friendly as they are beautiful.

Not all of us are going to be turning our coffee grounds into tennis shoes, but hopefully, we can all start thinking about creative uses for our coffee waste!