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While it might be a cliché at this point, it remains true that many of us, myself included, require a strong cup of coffee to get us going in the morning. Whether you’re making espresso in a fully-fledged coffee machine, brewing filter coffee or getting your daily dose from a manual coffee maker like a French press or an Aeropress (my tool of choice), you’re soon going to find yourself with a small mountain of used coffee grounds to dispose of.
Scraping used coffee grounds into the bin might be a bit of a hassle depending on your chosen brewing method, but the reason many people seek alternate uses or disposal solutions for them is because of their environmental impact. When dumped in landfill, decomposing coffee grounds produce environmentally harmful methane and CO² gases. If you want to reduce the environmental impact of your daily brew, or simply want to give your garden a boost, clean your fireplace more easily or combat odorous items in your fridge, then check out my handy tips below.
The seven best uses for your used coffee grounds
Coffee grounds have a rough texture, as well as several useful organic and chemical ingredients that can be put to good use and even contain oils which can be used as a source of energy. To find out how to use coffee grounds as a cosmetic product, fertiliser, pesticide and even fuel, check out my list below:
1. Compost
If you are already an avid composter or are looking to start a compost pile, then you’re in luck, as coffee grounds are one of the simplest and best additions you can make to compost. They are an excellent source of organic matter and contain nutrients important for soil such as nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. Coffee grounds can also improve the structure of your compost and attract earthworms, which can speed up the composting process organically. Used coffee grounds can be mixed into soil alongside a nitrogen fertiliser or soaked in water to create a liquid fertiliser, improving the growth of your plants.
2. Odour absorption
Coffee grounds have a strong smell of their own, which can help mask other odours. They also contain different elements and compounds, such as nitrogen and various acids, which can work to absorb and neutralise odours. A couple of teaspoons of coffee grounds in a bowl can be placed in your fridge to tame competing smells, put in a utility room with a litter box to eliminate pet odours or stored next to your bins to combat sulphurous pongs.
3. Use them as an organic pesticide
Another garden-friendly use for coffee grounds is as an organic pest control. If you want to cut down on the amount of chemical pesticides you use, you can try sprinkling a border of coffee grounds around your plant and flower beds. Some gardeners report success in keeping away slugs, ants, cats and even foxes with coffee grounds, as the odour and texture of the grounds can work as a repellant for these creatures.
4. Clear fireplace ash more easily
As noted in my things you should never vacuum up guide, fireplace ash can be a pain to deal with. Any attempt to vacuum or brush fireplace ash will usually just launch a shower of fine particles into the air, spreading the problem around the room. Sprinkling damp coffee grounds over your ash before you attempt to brush it up can help solve this problem. The coffee grounds will cover and weigh down the ash, preventing a dust cloud from forming when you sweep them up.
5. Make a homemade body scrub
This one may sound a little out there, but nowadays there are few lengths people won’t go to in the name of skincare. Mixed with a few other ingredients, like sugar, coconut oil and some pleasantly scented items, rough coffee grounds can make for an effective exfoliant scrub. Some users claim that coffee scrubs can also give your skin a boost via their caffeine and antioxidant content, but there isn’t currently any evidence that the benefits of drinking coffee are transmissible in this way.
6. Clean stubborn dirt on pots and pans
From a body scrub to a kitchen scrub, the next use I’m highlighting also puts the rough texture of coffee grounds to good use. A few tablespoons of coffee grounds mixed with warm soapy water can create a powerful cleaning scrub, which can help lift burnt-on stains from pots and pans when applied with a soft sponge and some elbow grease.
Speaking of grease, this scrub is also particularly effective on grease stains, as the natural acidity of coffee grounds can help break down oily residues more easily. Of course, just make sure to only use this scrub on pots and pans that aren’t non-stick, as its rough texture will be far too abrasive for cleaning non-stick cookware.
7. Donate them for biofuel
If you’re overseeing a larger volume of coffee beans being used regularly, say in a café or office space, then the grounds they produce could be put to use in a very interesting way. The UK is currently home to several startups and businesses who accept and recycle solid coffee waste, extracting its natural oils to make biofuels. This renewable, cost-effective energy source has already been put to use in a small number of London buses, earmarking it as a potentially very useful source of energy for the future.
