Coffee grounds are earthworm candy. & earthworms are your best garden friends, opening tunnels in compacted soil, "processing" nutrients, excreting the wonderful earthworm castings... You may run across a Starbucks that doesn't give away grounds, either becuase it's a franchised location, like the ones inside Target stores, or because the manager is a toot & has told the staff that the health department won't let them put back the grounds. The first time someone told me that I just gaped. If coffee grounds are a health hazard, why did the city let you open a coffee shop??? & even if they were a "hazard", if throwing them out nightly is acceptable to the health department, why don't you just bag them separately & let someone else haul them away every evening? If your local gardener can't make it that day, *you can still put them in the trash*. what was the question?...

Hi! I just wanted to give you my formula. I bought 12 plastic (3 gal.) trash baskets and I lined them with (8 gal.)bags. I drop off two lined containers in the a.m. and bring back two clean lined baskets a couple of days later in the a.m. When I pick those up, UCG and filters go in together. I make sure the trash containers are washed, rinsed and lined. after I dump them. I carry a cement plastic tub in my truck and set the cans, liners and all in the tubs. (just in case of a spill). I worked from three different coffee shops.I tipped and bought mocha or coffee regularly. This worked fine till I went on vacation for a month. My DH picked up only from his favorite coffee house and put the bags in a big pile out in the yard. I had made arrangements with the other two shops that I would be on vacation. When I got home and had to pry frozen bags off the grass and spread them out I thought I would freeze my fingers off. "Boy it was cold" After that I made arrangements to wait till spring to collect more grounds. I now have an acre of grass covered with grounds and 5 nice size lasagna beds waiting to plant. I now turn them about every month. Can't wait to get started again. In the mean time my Chiropractor saves me shredded mail and I am still collecting for the next bed. The Cement tub is always in the truck waiting in case I spy any thing I can use in my beds. I love collecting and gardening. This is very addicting!!!

Thanks for the heads up. I used to get bags of if when I was working for a auto pts. mfg. co. Had coffee machines all over the offices and factory and I had the maintenance people save them for me. Got about 2 bushels a week. But have been retired for 23 yrs now, and I drink only instance coffee. Max is 2 cups a day. Will check into this as I can sure use them when I'll be making my new hosta beds in the spring.

My son is a manager at a Starbucks. They routinely have a basket out for people to donate coffee, then they grind it just before it is sent overseas. In our area, a retired military guy comes to pick it up and takes it to the base to be sent. Wouldn't hurt to ask if they would donate to your cause. Where we live, Target and Publix sells it. However, when you open it, it is never as fresh smelling as what you get at the store, esp if it is already ground.