How about have you tried your local grocery store, like maybe Kroegers, or Publix, Acme, etc? Maybe one of those would be willing to.
I face a similar problem here because my Starbucks is about 25 miles away. Too far for it to be worth driving all that distance. I do work at a big grocers and am hoping they will be willing to give some of theirs come spring.
I can't really compost where I am, but I do save my coffee grounds and sprinkle them on my gardens all season long.

What?! 100 miles away from a Starbucks?? I would absolutely die...

Why aren't the other stores/restaurants able to give you any UCG's?? Lawsuit issues??

I would say it is mostly due to employees who do not care, or the places have a vey high turnover.

It is much easier and more convienient to put the coffee grounds in the trash than to hold onto them for someone that might come in and pick them up. Part of that is also that most people think of coffee grounds as garbage, not a resource and that makes them concerned about that stuff drawing pests that could result in the business being shut down by the health department.

What kimmsr said. Employees grumble about it and health departments frown on it.

Lo and behold, I was able to get a small convenience store to start saving them for me. The owner apparently has a tomato gardening fetish, and since I raise heirloom seedlings - it was a sure thing. Dang, bartering sure does work well!

EG

Attaboy EG -- i love the barter system --- your gonna have to be givin' up some of that fine tomatoe harvest this summer ---- but should be worth it for the gold your gonna get from the UCG'S

If there's a funky juice bar or vegetarian restaurant near you, that's another source of good stuff. We have one that puts all their food waste into Rubbermaid bins, and they'll hand you as much as you want.

You might try supplying them with a container with a lid,-either a garbage can or the like.

Just dumped my weekly 200# of ucg on my giant leaf bin..

{{gwi:260854}}

Those blue containers have a lock ring and sturdy handles, I get them from dude that sells 55 gallon plastic drums, 5 gallon buckets, and fish bait.
My comfrey patch is in the background, a very helpful composting plant.

I always try to keep the containers as clean as possible.

Good luck, p.s. It always to know the right people.

pete

1) Someone has to make a decision
2) Worries about liabilities
3) The person picking up might make a mess
4) More people might want to do the same thing

Wow Pete, gorgious shades of green! I'm jealous. Mine's all under a blanket of snow that's under a sheet of ice LOL. btw, how is Comfrey a good composting plant? decomposed well when ground and fed to pile; microbes on the root system; attracting good bug??? I'm curious because it's a plant I was considering for an herb garden.

What i've done right now, is supply the store with a clean 2 gallon bucket that cake icing comes in. It has a lid and everything. Others have been cleaned and are awaiting their turn.
200 lbs. of UCG? Dang....I need probably 500-600 lbs for my 6 pallet bins.
I'll try some more stores this week, because I doubt the one store will do more than 2 gallons/week.

EG

Compost \able Kate
Comfrey is suppose to be a really good "green"
but you have to "REALLY" want it ,because it just will not die.
I have drowned it in ROUND-UP and CROSSBOW and year after year it keeps coming back OY VEY ;-)

Cool, just got another small store :-) It's amazing what owners will do for a few tomato transplants they've never heard of. Bartering works so good!

EG

Hey compostkate, that pic is from the summer!! My stuff is all froze up now also.. That comfrey is very hardy and is difficult to get rid of so I plant it near the edge of my creek and woods. Doesn't seem to spread, just dominates where it is planted. It is good to add as a green and has calcium. If you want some send me your address or e-mail me at tomatoking@zoomtown.com and I'll send you some roots. It also attracts lots of bees.

Pete

Well, I did the unthinkable yesterday....

I found out that a new Starbuck's opened in a town 45 miles away from me, and they had about 10 gallons of UCG's ready to be picked up. Yep, you guessed it! I drove 90 miles for that bounty. Ha!

EG

Ninety miles??? Now THAT is a hard core composter. Perhaps you should post this fact on the "you might be a compost wacko" thread. haha.

"Why is it so difficult to get UCG from stores?"

If you have ever managed a busy store or can imagine what that would be like it's fairly obvious. Time is money and it takes extra time to save and store UCG. Add the uncertainty that people will pick it up in a timely fashion before it molds and the extra space it takes to store and you can see why someone who is not really convinced of the value of the product won't do it.

We went thru a lot of discussion with the manager of a coffee shop before we were given UCG regularly last year. However we felt it was not something the coffee shop really wanted to do so we quit imposing on them after several months. We provided clean plastic garbage bins or large totes and picked up every 3 days. We were only given a fraction of what they threw out as they have different systems for drive-thru and restaurant and it wasn't "possible" for them to change their system to accommodate. I thot they'd appreciate reducing the amount of garbage they dump but obviously it's too much work. I should say this is a chain coffee shop and I heard that another store elsewhere did it so there is not a corporate rule against it.

There's another coffee shop in our little town where they put all their grounds in foil bags and leave them near the front door of the shop. One just has to walk in and pick up a bag but there are lots of other gardeners who take them also so it's hit and miss and not many grounds at a time.

Here's our 3rd and last pile of UCG.

{{gwi:260855}}

I think it will take a change in laws regarding compostables before this is made easier.

>I think it will take a change in laws regarding compostables before this is made easier.

Or, a simple matter of economics: if tipping fees get too high for the landfills, trash rates go way up, and there's a $ incentive to divert it.

A propos comfrey being 'supposed to a very good green'. It is very highly regarded over here and many people grow it for their gardens. The link might be of interest.

Here is a link that might be useful: Comfrey

"Or, a simple matter of economics: if tipping fees get too high for the landfills, trash rates go way up, and there's a $ incentive to divert it."

I certainly hope this would be motivation, however what I often see is that big business does what is easiest and passes on the increased costs to the consumer. I think changes will only come when enforced.

I understand that the store employees want to keep their jobs and are afraid of psycho control freak bosses and inspectors etc etc etc.

They just have to follow the procedures and not rock any boats to keep their jobs.

specially now.