Since you're not in my state, I'll tell you exactly how to get 100-200 pounds a week. Find a Starbucks store near you. If you like coffee, get used to buying a cup, preferably at off hours, so you will more of an opportunity to chat with the employees. Check out the location of the dumpster. Find out what day the trash is collected. Carry three Rubbermaid or other plastic containers in your car. Carry a dust pan and brush to clean up any messes. Check out grabbing type tools at the hardware store. Mine costs $5, and has four prongs about 1" apart and 90 degrees from the handle. If the store has a policy giving out small foil bags of expresso grounds, explain to your favorite employee you would rather have a whole bag of (usually 15-25#'s)grounds. If that does not work out; or is not enough for you; check out the dumpster. After nine months, one day they had no grounds. So I asked if I could look in the dumpster. Found four bag, and I never went inside the store. The tool is for reaching bags not within reach. Grab the knot with the tool and it will not break. Grab another part of the bag and it WILL break. Clean up any messes.

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!!!

The mold happens when they put the coffee into those foil bags and leave it out for too many days. This problem could be solved by only making the bags to order or storing them cold. The policy is they don't want people bothering them for grounds when it may interfere with the busy traffic of people buying coffee drinks. We don't pay for the grounds, so the grounds are moved to the low level of "unprofitable and therefore unimportant." This is what is wrong with the whole corporate model. The only way to change this would be for us to pay a small amount for the coffee grounds to upgrade them to a purchase. Right now, I am looking into independent stores rather then have to hassle argue and it all bend out of shape. If I find a good local coffee place that will give grounds. I will post it back here. The compost information sheet may be a good idea, but if they are really determined to never give them again such as the Westlake branch. I don't think showing the sheet will change their minds. The worse experience was at the Westlake branch. I went it there years ago, asked for coffee grounds. They said, they did not have any. I said, I would go to Walgreen's and come back so I did. When I came back, they said, we threw them out. I was so mad, I did fill out a complaint form and never heard back for corporate for such rude behavior. I used to buy a lot of coffee and mugs from Starbucks. I used to buy the black apron coffees, but they started to change a few year back and all the coffee beans were old, so I don't actually buy from Starbucks anymore. In the Starbucks hey day, I used to get coffee drinks, but now I am trying to cut down on caffeine and stomach acid caused from coffee. I used to like the Buena Vista Coffee from Costa Rico and the Coffee with the Elephant on the label that was grown in a special acid soil, and they don't have those anymore not for at least three years. I might buy them again if they would bring those back and if the beans were fresh. Pikes Place is horrible coffee. Sorry to go off topic, I just wanted to explain why I hardly ever buy things at Starbucks anymore.

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.