In the world of specialty coffee, we're always looking to find new sustainable and eco friendly practices at every step from farming to brewing. This begs the questions of what to do with used ground coffee material, whether it's a compressed pick from espresso, or rough grains in a French Press. Below is a great series of tips to make use of coffee grounds.
1) Coffee grounds as compost and fertiliser - Coffee grounds have a variety of uses in the home garden. Instead of throwing them in the bin, they make great use towards a compost bin, or dedicated compost area in your garden. Additionally, if you grow a patch of fruit or veg, you can use coffee grounds as fertiliser. Coffee grounds contain nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus and a variety of micro nutrients which a great for soil health.
2) Pest repellent - Many bugs don’t like the acids and aroma compounds of coffee grounds, which can be used a repellent. Spread a small 1 inch line of coffee grounds in vulnerable areas of the house to keep those little critters at bay! Common pests like ants can be deflected.
3) Keep the fridge smell deodorized - Put a bowl of used coffee grounds in the fridge. This will support absorbing all odours pleasant or foul. Replace the ground coffee once every 3 weeks.
4) Body scrub - Coffee grounds gritty texture and acidity cause them to be functional exfoliators. Mix the following:
-2 tablespoons of coconut oil
-1/4 cup of coffee grounds
- A few drops of vanilla extract
