Earning Money Through Recycling

Coffee shops continue to do great business in the United States, with annual revenues now in excess of $10 billion. Unfortunately, all those cups of coffee lead to a significant amount of waste, and café owners must think carefully about how to get rid of their coffee grounds. Learn more about the environmental problems coffee grounds can cause, and find out about some of the ways you can deal with the problem.

Disposing of coffee grounds

A single café can generate a significant amount of unwanted coffee grounds on a weekly basis, but some business owners' waste disposal methods can cause environmental problems. These methods are harmful because:

• Incinerating waste can allow pollutants to enter the atmosphere.

• Sending the grounds to landfills uses up precious space and contributes to harmful methane production.

• Rinsing coffee grounds down the sink increases the effort required to clean the water supply, and you may also block your pipes and drains.

As such, all café owners must take steps to dispose of unwanted coffee grounds responsibly.

Garbage collections

In most cities and states, cafes and restaurants can still dispose of coffee grounds in their regular landfill garbage collection, but some authorities are moving towards stricter regulations. For example, in New York City, a new law (Local Law 146) now states that certain commercial establishments must recycle all food leftovers, including coffee grounds, provided that facilities exist within a 100-mile radius.

Changes in legislation are increasingly likely across the United States, so it's a good idea to start thinking about different ways to handle your waste now. Fortunately, there are plenty of creative ways to recycle coffee grounds.

Offering coffee grounds to gardeners

Many coffee shops now offer used coffee grounds in small batches to customers who want to use the waste as fertilizer. Coffee grounds offer several benefits to gardeners. The material can improve soil structure and can add vital minerals to the soil, including phosphorus, magnesium and copper. Coffee grounds added to a home compost kit can create nutrient-rich, acidic soil, which is particularly good for gardeners who want to grow hydrangeas, roses or azaleas.

Coffee grounds are not just good at fertilizing soil. This type of waste is also useful as a pest repellent. Ants, snails and slugs are less likely to attack your customers' prized vegetables and flowers if they sprinkle a thick layer of coffee grounds around the plants. What's more, your customers can mix the ground with orange peel to deter unwanted cats too.

Other ways to recycle

There are plenty of other ways to recycle unwanted coffee grounds. Some methods can help you save money, while other ideas could actually increase your income.

Coffee grounds can absorb unwanted smells, in the same way that many people use baking soda. A small container in a fridge will take away unwanted smells, so some customers will happily take away a small plastic container filled with grounds to use at home. Some people even recommend coffee grounds as a household cleaner, as the texture of the waste (when mixed with water) can help scrub off stubborn stains.

If you're feeling particularly creative or adventurous, you could also use your unwanted coffee grounds as an ingredient for other products you could sell to your customers. You can use coffee grounds to make candles, bars of soap and even a skin exfoliator. While you may not have the time to do the work yourself, you could still connect with other local businesses who will happily take the waste from you to create these products.

Waste coffee collection schemes

Some companies across the United States now use the latest technology to convert coffee grounds into special biofuels. While this industry is relatively new, it's worth finding out if there are any waste management businesses near you that operate special coffee waste collection schemes. These companies will normally collect the waste from your premises, so you'll save on garbage fees, and you'll know you are helping the environment.

American cafes create a lot of coffee waste, so it's important to find ways to dispose of the material responsibly. Talk to a waste management company near you, such as B-P Trucking Inc, for more advice.