Climate for Action: New Uses for Used Coffee Grounds
Posted on February 24th, 2009 - 10:30 AMAbout the Author: Loreal Crumbley, a senior at George Mason University, is an intern with EPA’s Environmental Education Division through EPA’s Student Temporary Employment Program (STEP).
Many of you may be looking for effective green tips. One tip I can offer you is to recycle used coffee grounds. Coffee mixed with soil can be used as a natural fertilizer. Used coffee grounds provide gardens with an abundant source of nutrition. Recycling coffee grounds is not only beneficial for gardeners but it helps in reducing the amount of waste going into landfills. When coffee grounds are dumped into landfills they create methane, which is a greenhouse gas. Methane is known to be more harmful than carbon dioxide, another greenhouse gas that causes global warming. If we are able to keep coffee grounds out of landfills we’ll be one step closer to eliminating greenhouse gas emissions.
Coffee grounds contain a high amount of nitrogen. When scattered across soil before rain or watering they will slowly release nitrogen into the soil. When compost is mixed with coffee grounds it causes the soil temperature to rise and stay hot for long periods of time. The high temperature kills weeds and will allow your garden to flourish beautifully. Coffee grounds are acidic, which benefits “acid loving” plants. For instance roses, camellias, blueberries, and azaleas all flourish when sprinkled with coffee grounds.
Recycling coffee grounds also helps to feed worms, and keeps troublesome insects away. Earthworms love to feed on used coffee grounds; it helps them grow and reproduce. Having lots of worms is an excellent way to keep a healthy garden. It is important to have worm activity in your soil; this mixes the soil and helps in mineralizing your vegetation. As you all know the odor of coffee is very strong, the odor can sometimes be too strong for humans. In the case of insects like ants, slugs, and snails the odor works as a repellant.
There are many places you can find used coffee grounds. Some good suggestions include local coffee shops, gas stations, schools, or your workplace. You could ask coffee vendors to save coffee grounds for you, and coordinate a time to stop by and pick up your “green fertilizer.”
Other uses for coffee grounds:
- Can be used to dye paper or clothes
- Can retouch furniture
- Can be used as flea repellant, rub on pets (dog, etc.)
- Can repel odors around the home
- Can be used when cleaning grease
Learn more about recycling used coffee grounds, and remember recycling is one way we can keep our environment natural and beautiful!
Tags: Climate for Action, coffee grounds, recycling
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Question of the Week
February 24th, 2009 at 5:40 pm
I have a question. At home we brew Arabic coffee which is basically the very fine coffee grounds, the cardamon and sugar all boiled together. I would love to use those coffee grounds in the garden, but won’t the sugar just attract a bunch of ants? Can I still use them?
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Loreal reply on March 9, 2009 7:19 am:
The Arabic coffee grounds should be fine; I would definitely use Linda’s (comment below) on rinsing the coffee grounds before adding them to your garden. With the sugar washed off the ants should stay away. For tips on adding food scraps to you compost use this website: http://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/materials/organics/food/fd-faq.htm
I hope this helps, and good luck with your garden!!
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February 25th, 2009 at 3:03 pm
I’ve been saving my own coffee grounds (and scrounging up extras whenever I can) for years. You’re right about the benefits, especially for roses. I only drink one cup a day, so I don’t have lots of grounds to add, but every little bit helps. Remember too that unbleached coffee filter paper is also compostable, as are used tea bags.
Lina, you should still be able to use your coffee grounds; try adding them to your home compost heap (or worm box if you have one). The heat of the compost should keep the ants at bay. If not, try rinsing the grounds with clear water first, maybe by layering a coffee filter or fine cotton cloth in a sieve. Once you’ve rinsed out the sugar, you should be pest-free.
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Loreal reply on March 9, 2009 7:48 am:
That’s an awesome tip on the filter paper and used tea bags, I had never heard that before!! I will have to try that in my garden.
I hope you continue to check in on our blog, your information and insight was very helpful with Lina’s question (above).
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February 25th, 2009 at 4:58 pm
This is very interesting! I will pass this information along to everyone I know with a garden. We all need to do little things like this to protect our environment as well as our lives.
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Loreal reply on March 9, 2009 6:51 am:
Thank you for passing along the information!!! And I agree, with a little initiative we can all do our part to keep our environment beautiful and healthy!!
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February 26th, 2009 at 5:37 pm
It’s good to know that there is a place for coffee grounds to go to when disposed. As an avid coffee drinker as well as somewhat of an environmentalist, I feel really good knowing that by recycling coffee grounds, our worms will be able to reproduce, which will keep away the other harmful insects to one’s garden. There is a continuous and growing problem with landfills, especially ones that have been so poorly handled that they catch on fire and become detrimental, and a simple step like recycling coffee grounds will help prevent those fires. I am someone who makes coffee almost every day, and knowing how much coffee this country consumes along with me making my own really makes me think that there has to be something else to do with those used coffee grounds rather than just throwing them in the trash. With these hard economic times, it is also more economically friendly to use used coffee grounds to clean up the grease left on the stove from the night before, or instead of buying that expensive formula to get rid of fleas on your cat for one time, why not just use your used coffee grounds to do so? I am very glad that the EPA bloggers with Greenversations picked this up and gave these great tips. Recycling does not seem that serious, but if we really take the time to recycle correctly by separating our plastics from papers, glasses from everything else, and putting to use our used coffee grounds rather than throwing it with all of the other litter, we will be able to help our climate little by little. The hope is that people will listen. And who doesn’t love the smell of coffee beans if you need something to fix that odor in your house?
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Loreal reply on March 9, 2009 7:44 am:
I’m so glad my posting was able to help recycle your coffee grounds!! If we continue to limit the amount of food waste that enters our landfills then we will be able to do our part in reducing greenhouse gas emission.
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February 28th, 2009 at 10:28 am
I’m thrilled to see this kind of information appear in this agenda.
My husband and I have used organic methods in our vegetable garden and yard for over 25 years. We regularly use coffee grounds in both our compost and in our raised beds.
I also use them in my verimcomposting tubs, and the worms love them.
I also use shredded black and white newspaper in most of these areas as well. I use that as bedding in my worm bins instead of peat moss which is now facing some environmental challenges. We regularly layer shredded wet newspaper (black & white only) in our compost bins and I use it between my vegetable rows along with a layer of shredded grass and leaves to act as a footpath. It helps control the germination of weed seed and helps to retain moisture to the vegetable plants.
Great to see these type of methods finally get some positive attention.
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Loreal reply on March 9, 2009 7:05 am:
Thank you for your comment!! Oh and thanks for filling me on adding black and white newspaper to help control the development of weed seeds. I’ll have to try that in my garden!! I’m glad we have readers with experience who can add helpful information to our blog!!
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March 3rd, 2009 at 8:23 am
As a class we came up with the following comments and questions:
I was unaware that coffee grounds could be used to repel insects. I’m going to try and use coffee grounds to repel japanese beetles.
Are there any type of coffee grounds you should not use?
Are there any insects that are not affected by coffee grounds?
What does the caffeine do to worms?
Does anyone actually use coffee grounds as a flea repllent?
Are there any negative health effects with putting coffee grounds in the soil of a garden?
This is a good and easy way to use something to help the environment that is normally thrown away.
If coffee is good for the gardens, why is it not good in a landfill?
Please note that this is the response from nine students after reading the article. We are interested in any answers and thoughts about our questions and comments.
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March 9th, 2009 at 11:47 am
Thank you for all of your questions, I’m sure others were wondering the same things!
I think it’s a wonderful idea to try the coffee grounds as a Japanese beetle repellent. You will have to keep me posted on the results! I know I am very interested in you findings and I am sure many others are as well.
Ok so now I will attempt to answer your questions to the best of my knowledge!
Are there any type of coffee grounds you should not use?
All coffee grounds are good for compost. Some coffee grounds can affect plants negatively, such as tomato plants. So I would advise researching which plants do well with coffee grounds or just adding coffee grounds to documented acid loving plants (since coffee grounds are acidic).
Are there any insects that are not affected by coffee grounds?
Most insects stay away from coffee ground. The smell is too strong for them. I have not seen any insects that are attracted to or are unaffected by coffee grounds. I will have to keep an eye on my garden this spring and summer and see. I will keep you posted if any insects come around (other than worms). I have not noticed any insects that don’t mind the smell, but the insects that stay away are: slugs, rust flies, scale insects, and mealy bugs.
What does the caffeine do to worms?
I have not heard of any scientific experiments that show what caffeine does to worms, but I do know they love to feed on the coffee grounds. By feeding worms it allows them to grow, reproduce and move around all over your garden. Heavy worm activity creates better soil. The movement spreads the nutrients and mineralizes your vegetation.
If you are afraid the caffeine might affect the worms, you can try other food scraps or organic matter. Worm compost is used by many with not only coffee grounds but all other organic materials. People use worm bins in a process call vermicomposting to create high value compost. For more information on vermicomposting, and organic materials used for backyards please visit:
http://www.epa.gov/osw/inforesources/news/2007news/05-terra.htm
http://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/rrr/composting/vermi.htm
http://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/materials/organics/index.htm
Does anyone actually use coffee grounds as a flea repellent?
Yes!! I know many people in my neighborhood who use coffee grounds as a flea repellent. And it really works! I have also heard that it makes animals hair softer.
Are there any negative health effects with putting coffee grounds in the soil of a garden?
The coffee grounds provided nutrients to the soil, are eaten by the worms, and decompose in soil without creating methane. I have not heard of any scientific experiments that show the health effects from adding coffee grounds to your soil, but I do know the major effects from allowing coffee grounds to enter landfills. If we do not reroute the flow of organic materials form our landfills it will affect human health, our land, air, and water. Some impacts of landfills are that they cause groundwater and soil contamination; as well as providing refuge for disease carrying organisms such as rats and flies.
If coffee is good for the gardens, why is it not good in a landfill?
When food waste is sent to landfills it is placed in conditions without oxygen. The decomposition of food waste without oxygen creates methane. Methane is one of the worst greenhouse gas emissions. For more information on food waste in landfills please visit:
http://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/materials/organics/food/fd-basic.htm
I hope my answers and thoughts helped with your question!! For more in-depth information on recycling common household wastes please visit:
http://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/materials/index.htm
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March 23rd, 2009 at 3:38 pm
I have found that coffee is Great for Xmass Trees,Rhodedendrons,probably alternative to aluminum sulfate scabbies remediation for potatoes,and the natural insecticide(CNS) paralyrtic-caffiene-makes a great drain cleaner mixed with bleech-and disinfectant-cow barns-linoleum floor de-gummer-destroys hydrocarbon grease-gum goo,etc,powerfull cleanser-smells nice-artificial Glade Vanilla-last 10 minutes-then adds a nice growing surface BUGS luve-Coffe sand water-the-dregs-should be place in a used laundry bottle-for houshold chores-cofee-also prevents weed seed germination-whats not to luv says your backyard plantings?also-disinfect-pet areas-indoor-and out-garbage cans-oil spills-,driveway grease-etc,pool algae cleaner-you name it-toilet bowl disinfectant-drain cleaner-bathtub scum cutter-bike-car-de greaser,car seat cleaner,etc
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April 11th, 2009 at 4:54 pm
nice artdile
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April 30th, 2009 at 2:06 pm
I’m a big coffee and tea drinker and am trying to do my part to help the environment. So, I wanted to know if coffee and tea grounds would have the same effect on house plants?
I found your artlicle to very informative :-)
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June 12th, 2009 at 10:52 am
Hello, I found the info very interesting. I have a few ?’s Are coffee grounds good for house plants? Or even potted plants outside? How can you store coffee grounds? I live in a condo I don’t have a garden yet sometime in the near future I would love to have one,so I was just curious as to how long the grounds could be saved and how? Thanks yolanda
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June 12th, 2009 at 11:56 am
I have a question–any change the coffee grinds will help keep the Japanese beetles away from the roses? That would be an added bonus!
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July 31st, 2009 at 6:33 pm
That’s a really cool tip. I’ll link it on my blog later.
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