6 Eco-Friendly Ways to Dispose of Coffee Grounds

From the Kitchen to the Garden, Here's How to Dispose of Coffee Grounds

We all enjoy a cup of coffee throughout the day, and most people tend to wash their coffee grounds down the drain. Have you ever wondered about how to dispose of coffee grounds the proper? There are other ways to dispose of coffee grounds that are much healthier for the environment.

In case you do not know, coffee grounds are the residue left after making coffee from ground-up coffee beans. Because coffee beans are natural, they decompose in a reasonably short space of time. Rather than wash them down the drain, learn methods to repurpose coffee grounds.

Best Eco-Friendly Ways to Dispose of Coffee Grounds

With all the waste piling up in landfills, it is our responsibility to dispose of unneeded items in a way that is less harmful to the environment. Other than the creative ways to dispose of coffee grounds, some more practical ways are also particularly environmentally-friendly.

Make Your Own Insect Spray

Coffee grounds can be mixed with water and then sprayed on garden plants to repel insects. Not only will this spray reduce bug damage in the garden, but it will also help to moisten your plants. Just avoid using it in the heat of the day so that the plants do not burn. Get rid of mosquitoes and their larva with coffee grounds.

Add a little water to coffee grounds and pour this mixture into bowls, placing them where these insects are active around your home or in stagnant water pools, because they hate the smell.

DIY Coffee Fertilizer

Coffee grounds contain nitrogen and other nutrients that can be used to make your own fertilizer. Many people are concerned about the bacteria found in manure, so making your own will eliminate this problem. Simply collect your coffee grounds, and once you have enough, dig handfuls of the grounds into the soil around garden plants.

Nitrogen gives us a good wake up in the morning and unsurprisingly it does the same for plants. Add more nitrogen fertilizer to the soil for food because coffee grounds drive microbial growth to break down the grounds, using up existing nutrients. Keep the soil damp once you have worked these elements into the ground.

Don’t worry about the coffee grounds creating acidic soil because the pH balance is close to neutral after the first use. Because the acid in coffee beans is dissolved into coffee the first time around, people have already absorbed this acid.

DIY Coffee Compost

Work used coffee grounds in your compost heap because this is another environmentally responsible way to dispose of coffee grounds.

Coffee beans give off nitrogen as you continue to regularly turn your compost, which is highly beneficial for the plants in your garden. Unless plants receive sufficient doses of nitrogen to enrich the soil, they are unable to produce amino acids or proteins to grow.

Make the compost by alternating layers of grass, leaves and coffee grounds in equal volumes. Always add leaves as these emit carbon, which is a necessary counterbalance to the nitrogen produced by the other waste. If you mix up these layers once a week, you will generate a nutrient, nitrogen-rich compost in about six months or less.

Time of Decomposition for Coffee Grounds

Coffee grounds take approximately three months to decompose, which is why they make such good fertilizer. The slow release process of nutrients adds value for healthy plant growth.

Additionally, coffee grounds can be dried and stored in a container for future use. Even if they grow a little mold on them while in storage, they still serve as an excellent addition to composts and fertilizers.

Repurpose Coffee Grounds Creatively

There are many ways to dispose of coffee grounds that prevent excess waste collecting in waterways and on trash heaps. Some of these methods include creatively repurposing coffee grounds.

Others involve putting coffee grounds back into the soil from where they originally came. Find out how you can use coffee grounds in a creative way to prevent excess waste.

Use Coffee Grounds for Cooking and Baking

Include coffee grounds in your cooking or baking when making delicious family meals. Create your own coffee essence with coffee grounds by flavoring brandy or whiskey to add a smooth taste to your evening coffee. Use this essence to include a hint of coffee in icing for cakes or in cream toppings for cupcakes and hot black coffee.

You can even use a hint of coffee essence made from grounds to highlight the flavor of iced coffee. Include the essence of coffee grounds in your chocolate cakes or rusks.

Coffee grounds are also known to be great flavor enhancers in marinades for meat. Add coffee grounds to your beef and lamb marinades for the BBQ to impress your guests.

Remove Odors

Dry your coffee grounds and place them in a small container in your refrigerator to absorb unpleasant odors. The same concept applies to your home. Leave dried coffee grounds in a container in your bathroom where unpleasant aromas will be absorbed within a short time.

Rub coffee grounds into your hands after working with fish or other foods that have pungent odors, such as onions. Not only are coffee grounds good for absorbing bad smells, but they give off a light hint of coffee throughout your home.

Exfoliate Your Skin

Skin exfoliation typically requires a rough texture, which is another creative way to repurpose coffee grounds. Gently rub the coffee grounds onto your face with a little water, using a light circular motion.

Then, leave it to dry and wash off to experience youthful, rejuvenated skin with improved circulation due to the caffeine content from the grounds. Apply this to your entire body for a holistic exfoliation experience and then rinse off in the shower.

Key Takeaways

Now that you know how useful coffee grounds are for garden soil, plants and the environment, you can rather save and store these instead of washing them away.

On top of the benefits to the environment, coffee grounds provide other creative repurposing goals. Continue to enjoy your morning coffee, and then give the grounds back to the environment.