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Loading...15 Ways to Reuse Coffee Grounds
- Becky Striepe
- August 23, 2011
- 5:05 pm
- 219 comments
Oh, coffee! Many of us rely on you to start the day or help us push through that early afternoon slump, but what happens to those coffee grounds after we finish the pot?
When you toss coffee grounds into the trash, they break down and release methane, like any other organic matter would do. Methane is a greenhouse gas 20 times more powerful than CO2. Luckily, there are lots of ways to divert all of that coffee from the landfill by using it in beauty products, cleaning supplies, and even in the garden!
For many of these tips, moist ground will do (just let them cool, so you don’t burn your skin!). If you’re planning to hang on to the grounds, though, you have to dry them out or they’ll get moldy. Dry them out by spreading a thin layer on a cookie sheet and placing them in a sunny spot to dry. When they’re all dried out, they’re ready to re-use!
Ready to start repurposing those old coffee grounds? Here are 15 tips to get you going! If you have more ideas on how to reuse coffee grounds, I’d love to keep the inspiration going in the comments.
1. Use them as fertilizer on acid-loving plants (like tomatoes and carrots)
2. Deter cats from the garden by sprinkling around beds or pots.
3. Mix with mashed avocado for an invigorating face mask.
4. Scrub your hands with spent coffee grounds after chopping onion or garlic to get the smell off of your skin.
5. Compost them.
Image Credit: Creative Commons photo via How can I recycle this?
Read more: Conscious Consumer, Drinks, Eco-friendly tips, Food, Green, Home, Natural Pest Control, Nature, Reduce, Recycle & Reuse, Surprising uses for ..., coffee, coffee grounds, DIY, Family Life, gardening, how to reuse coffee grounds, recycle, repurpose, reuse
Becky Striepe
Becky Striepe is a freelance writer and vegan crafter living in Atlanta, Georgia. Her life’s mission is to make green crafting and vegan food accessible to everyone! Like this article? You can follow Becky on Twitter or find her on Facebook!
Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may
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Cute! And the kitty at 2:30 even LOOKS like he/she is saying "Hello!"
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Amazing video. first one I've watched in a while that wasn't cute but exceptional and thought provok…
thank you
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219 comments
+ add your ownYes we always reuse it for natural fertilisers in the garden
Me and my family have been using coffee grounds for fertilizers for plants!
It really does a good job by keeping the lovely cats who enjoys urinating on our plants! =)
Thanks
already use in the garden...saves on garbage waste too...
Great tips, thanks!
Coffee can also be used to darken hair if you have some leftovers. Just rinse through your hair after washing. Or let the used coffee grounds soak in some apple cider vinegar for a couple of weeks, then strain and dilute 1 part vinegar with about 6 parts water and rinse your hair (no need to wash out).
Here's another coffee scrub recipe: http://hildablue.com/recipes/2011/03/02/top-of-the-morning-coffee-scrub/
I have been using the grounds to put around roses and azaleas for a while, and they always give the roses a great boost! My son has some wonderful old camellia bushes in the yard of their rental home, and has been feeding them with grounds to good effect, as well.
The other thing I reuse from the house to the garden, is the mopping water. I mop with water with a cup of vinegar in it, and pour it on the azaleas and roses as well. Very appreciated by the plants, as I always get a lovely flush of flowers afterwards!
i use coffee grinds in my tomato garden..
Thank you :)
Yes i reuse reclaim and recycle everything i can. I am basing my B&B on this concept along with organic healthy whole foods. Wabi sabi is my middle name LOL
Hmmm... will definitely try the odor-eliminating trick...
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