Twelve billion pounds of coffee go into brewing coffee every year. This leaves about 18 billion pounds or 9 million tons of wet waste coffee grounds that typically go into landfills or are washed down the drain and end up in streams and rivers. Can you recycle coffee grounds? It turns out that there are several excellent uses for coffee grounds from composting or adding mulch to your garden and deicing winter sidewalks to removing hair product residue.
Coffee Grounds as Pest Repellant
A natural way to keep pests out of your home, off of your pets, or away from vulnerable garden plants is with coffee grounds. If there is a place where an ant colony has access to your home, block the route with coffee grounds and refresh every couple of weeks. The ants will not like the aroma of the coffee grounds and they will interfere with the pheromone trails that they routinely follow.
If you think one of your pets has fleas, take them outside and use a coffee ground body wash to send the fleas packing.
In your garden you can use coffee grounds the same way as with ants to keep snails and slugs under control. Just a line of coffee grounds refreshed from time to time is all that you need.
Fertilizing Your Garden or Flower Box
Coffee grounds are rich in nitrogen, calcium, potassium, and magnesium which make coffee grounds an excellent natural fertilizer. Because coffee grounds are slightly acidic, avoid using them near crocus, photinia, forsythia, barberry, and lilacs. Unlike when you are keeping pests away from your plants, mix the coffee grounds into the soil instead of just dumping on top of the soil.
Coffee Grounds for Personal Hygiene
Coffee grounds are mildly abrasive and make an excellent exfoliator. A simple recipe for making your coffee ground exfoliator is to mix three parts coffee grounds, one part brown sugar, and one part coconut or almond oil. Adding a few drops of vanilla extract or lemon oil will provide more aroma.
In addition to using coffee grounds to exfoliate, use the same abrasive properties to remove sticky hair cream or shampoo residue. The trick is to mix the coffee grounds with the hair product when you apply and rinse. The residue will leave with the coffee grounds and not cling to your hair.
Light the Night with Coffee Candles
If you like home crafts and want to make candles, consider mixing or layering coffee grounds into your candles. As the candle burns down it exposes the coffee grounds and provides a burst of coffee aroma. Add any other favorite aroma such as lemon or vanilla to complement the aroma of coffee. This is a great way to recycle coffee grounds and not pay for aromatic oils for your homemade candles.
Non-toxic Furniture Restoration
Furniture gets scratched and tarnished with normal use over the years. Rather than buying a toxic cleaner, consider using coffee grounds instead. Simply place a few coffee grounds on the scratch plus a few drops of water. Use a q-tip or cotton swab to buff the area for a minute or so. Wait ten minutes and repeat as needed.
All-Purpose, Organic Deodorizer
Fresh coffee grounds soak up odors and so do used coffee grounds. Put dried coffee grounds in a saucer in the back of the refrigerator or in any area prone to odor accumulation. Switch out every week or two as you will always have a supply of coffee grounds. You can use your grounds this way on their way to the garden. You can even help break down grease buildup in the drain by using a couple of tablespoonsful of coffee along with a few drops of soap and boiling water. Done twice a month this procedure helps prevent clogging.
Can You Recycle Coffee Grounds – Slideshare Version