Starbucks has free coffee grounds?

kimcoco

13 years ago

I just read that as a comment in someone else's thread, and didn't want to hijack it.

So, you just walk into Starbucks and ask them for their coffee grounds?

Good thing, I don't like their bitter burnt tasting coffee. LOL.

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Comments (10)

Steve Massachusetts
13 years ago
Yes, it is a company policy to make used coffee grounds available for gardeners. Sometimes you have to call ahead. Some places just put out their grounds in a bucket for anyone to stop by and pick up. Caffeinated UCG will repel slugs. UCG is a good organic fert, but where it really shines is when you put it on a compost pile. A source high in nitrogen, it will really heat up a pile and speed up the decomposition process. Read the Composting and Soils Forum for more info.

Steve
mosswitch
13 years ago
The *bux here bag them up and set the bags inside the door, you can just walk in and pick them up. If there are none left, you can blame the gardeners that tell each other and they have gotten them all first, lol! Sometimes if there are none, you can ask, and they will bag what they have on hand for you. I pick them up on a pretty regualr basis, about twice a month.
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A year or so ago I stopped at a Starbucks outside my 'regular' area & was told something that I know was a lie (& I could tell by the wide-eyed, unblinking look the guy gave me while reciting this that he knew it to be a lie, too): "We don't save grounds here. You can go to the Starbucks down the street, they'll have them. We can't keep them here because we're such a high-volume store that the grounds attract fruit flies. The health department won't let us keep the grounds." 1. If coffee grounds are a health hazard, they're a health hazard in every coffee shop, & the health department wouldn't let the store down the street, or *any* Starbucks or other coffee shop, give away their grounds. 2. If you're a high-volume store, you wouldn't let grounds or any other discards pile up: you'd just empty your containers more often. (There used to be a Starbucks near Town East Mall in Mesquite that always put their grounds in a designated trash can just outside their door. Everybody knew that's what that can was for, & they put their trash in the other can.) 3. There's no health/environmental difference between discarding "unclaimed" grounds every night & discarding *all* the grounds every night. The only difference is whether the grounds go into a garden or into the landfill. The manager of that store undoubtedly just didn't want to set the grounds aside. so I emailed Starbucks & received the non-commital "sorry your visit was less than perfect. Please give us a try again, we're sending you a coupon."
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I have been collecting Starbucks grounds for about four years. One thing collectors might not know is that Starbucks throws away most of their grounds. I estimate the nearest store pitches about 70-90% of the total coffee grounds. For the first six months, I went inside the store and requested grounds. I received one bag which was welcome. One time they had none, and I asked permission to check the dumpster. With permission, I checked and found four bags. After that, I never went inside and always checked the dumpster. My average haul is three bags, once I learned what day trash collection was. Inside the store the collector is given only espresso grounds. In the dumpster you find both espresso and regular grounds. While the regular bags include trash (which the espresso bags do not), the grounds have more moisture and are not in clumps like the espresso grounds. I use a special rake to hook the bags and transfer the bags into my Rubbermaid container. One has to grab the bag by the knot. If you hook the bag it breaks. If there is a mess, I clean it up with a brush and pan. The trash is sorted once I get home; and goes in my weekly trash collection.
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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.
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Here is what a rhododendron nursery in Oregon does: Van Veen Nursery in Portland, Oregon, reported after using coffee grinds from Starbucks Coffee House for about 18 months that they were very satisfied with the results. 1) it helps to aerate their clay soil. 2) slugs don't like to go through. (So you can see they have both mixed in and put on top.) It does help to make the soil more acidic. But it does not replace fertilizer. They suspect that by making the soil more acidic you are actually helping the uptake of magnesium. This in turn helps iron uptake and that helps to make the plant green. So really you are starting a process not fertilizing. Combine the coffee with horse mature and organic mulch and watch the amount of fertilizer you use decrease dramatically. As for how they apply it, when the plant is dry and just before it rains they sprinkle it on and around. The rain takes it from there. Otherwise they incorporate into the new beds. No exact rate just cover the top and work it in. (Courtesy of Vicki at Van Veen Nursery)
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thisismelissa
13 years ago
So, how do you use them to repel slugs?

Ring around the hosta? Sprinkle them all around?

Can it go on top of mulch, or should it be scratched in?

Info please???
Steve Massachusetts
13 years ago
Rings on top of the mulch. But it only lasts for a short time. The caffeine is what repels and that eventually leaches into the ground. In the UK they sell a spray product that provides a concentrated amount of caffeine. You spray it on the ground and on the plants. Has to be reapplied after rain.

Here is a link that might be useful: Slug Snub
coralb
13 years ago
You can often go to other coffee shops and ask them to save their grounds for you. My son and I do this at a Caribou Coffee and get about 1/2 a garbage full after they collect them for 1 day.
kimcoco
Original Author
13 years ago
Awesome. We don't drink enough coffee in our household to go around my hosta beds. I'll have to visit the local coffee shops.
tsugajunkie z5 SE WI ♱
13 years ago
The link below has the nutritional specs on used coffe grounds. The only caveat is not to put it on too thick as it will repel water after they dry out. I've been using it for years as a slug control and it seems to work best if refreshed once a month. Just sprinkle it around the base of the plant. BTW the program is called 'Grounds for Gardeners'.

tj

Here is a link that might be useful: UCG Breakdown
kimcoco
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks for the link & extra info. My hostas will be slug free this year!
FourSeasonGardener
9 years ago
I'm a gardener and I love growing trees and shrubs year round. Local Starbucks told me they sell spent coffee grounds to their special customers. I wasn't special enough to get them for free or even buy, since all their coffee grounds were already set up for their IPs.
Gesila
9 years ago
We get a big bag everyday when my DH picks up my Shaken Green Tea Lemonade. I put a circle around the the base and pat it down. I fill in the space between the mulch and the hosta. It also keeps the clover from growing. They also save the used filters for us. I put it under the mulch to keep the weeds from coming through.

Gesila

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Starbucks has free coffee grounds?

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