It’s National Gourmet Coffee Day! There are plenty of ways to celebrate this delicious holiday. Even after you’ve brewed up a hot cup of ‘jo, there are still several ways to put those coffee grounds to good use. You can make a body scrub, add it to your soil, use it to repel insects and more.
Don’t drink coffee that often? Ask your local coffee shop if you can use their coffee grounds. We love Mood Food and Petite B Bakery in New Jersey; not only do they make great coffee, but both coffee shops have commercial compost plans with us!
But back to the point — as long as you have some coffee grounds to spare, you can give those coffee beans a second or third life before you have to dispose of them. And Neighborhood Compost is all about getting creative with food scraps. If you’ve ever wondered how you can reuse your coffee grounds, we’ve got some ideas for you.
So grab a cup of your favorite gourmet coffee and read on to find out how you can capitalize on those coffee grounds.
Make a coffee ground body scrub
Cut down on food waste by making your own body scrub at home! All you need is some used coffee grounds, coconut oil, raw sugar, vanilla extract and a bit of cinnamon. If you’d rather save yourself the trouble, you can purchase our coffee body scrub at our zero-waste store, the NC Circular Home Shop. But if you’re feeling creative, here’s the basic recipe for a coffee ground body scrub:
1 cup used coffee grounds
1 cup raw sugar
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
Melt the coconut oil and allow it to cool until it's warm to the touch. Then, combine the rest of the ingredients to make your scrub. Store it in an airtight container and use when you wish.
Add coffee grounds to potted plants or soil
Coffee grounds make a great fertilizer for both indoor and outdoor plants. They contain nitrogen and small amounts of phosphorus and potassium, all of which are essential to plant growth. If you want to add it to your indoor plants, add it in small amounts, usually a 1-10 ratio. Grounds help retain moisture, so you don’t want to overuse them and accidentally drown your plants. If you’re adding it to outdoor soil, just add it directly onto the top of the soil, or you can mix it in with a hoe or rake for better distribution.
Put your coffee grounds in your compost
Along with fertilizing soil, coffee grounds are fantastic for composting. Not only will they help boost your compost pile’s health, they’ll help lessen odors and increase breakdown of other food scraps. However, if you live in a suburban area, you may not have the option of keeping a compost pile in your backyard. If this is the case, look around for a compost service near you. Neighborhood Compost offers several compost pick-up plans in several counties in North Jersey, including Bergen, Hudson, Morris, Somerset, and Hunterdon County.
Use coffee grounds to repel insects
If you’re an avid gardener, you know how frustrating it is to deal with pests in your garden or yard. Coffee grounds can help keep harmful insects and bugs away, while boosting the health of your soil at the same time. You can use coffee grounds to repel various insects, including snails, mosquitos and even wasps. When applied correctly, the potent smell of the used coffee grounds will irritate the pests and discourage them from coming to your yard altogether.
Whether you’re a coffee aficionado or a tea lover who wants to compost local coffee grounds, National Gourmet Coffee Day is an excellent reason to see how you can up your food waste game. If you’re curious to learn more about composting here in North Jersey, or a coffee shop looking to compost your coffee grounds, we’d be happy to chat with you. Send us a message to hear more about our residential and commercial composting services. Cheers!
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