Since 1995, Starbucks has offered free used coffee grounds through its Grounds for Your Garden program.
In an effort to reduce the environmental impact of its stores by keeping valuable material out of landfills and putting it to good use, Starbucks offers its customers free pre-packaged five-pound bags of used coffee grounds to enrich their gardens and compost. Even the bags used to hold the grounds are recycled; the baristas use the bags in which the coffee beans and espresso were originally packaged.
Coffee grounds are a nutritional additive for your garden soil. Much of coffee’s acidity is removed in the brewing process, leaving behind a green material that promotes plant growth, repels ants and slugs, and entices earthworms. The coffee grounds can be added directly to the garden as a side dressing for nitrogen loving plants.
The Grounds for Your Garden program is a win-win for both Starbucks and its customers. The used coffee grounds are offered on a first-come, first-served basis at participating Starbucks locations.
