5 Simple Ways to Save the World using Coffee
By: Gian Monzon
Tags: Green, Coffee, Recycling, Home, Alternative

Let’s talk about everyone’s one true love: coffee.

Brewing coffee at home | Photo source: Andreas Palmer on Unsplash

Brewing and drinking coffee is a part of most people’s morning routine. For some, it is a habit done as frequently as they can throughout the day. Coffee had become a staple for most people because of its flavor and its effect on a person’s body — providing a needed energy boost to get through school or work.

Basing on data tracking by Fitch Solutions, a company providing market research and statistics, the Philippines will more likely take the lead in the coffee intake in Southeast Asia by 2025. The tracked coffee affinity in 2020, with consideration to the shift to the work-from-home set-up, showed that drinking coffee became more than just a “coffee break” for Filipinos.1

This proves to be true given that a lot of Filipinos are into the coffee business, showcasing their love for coffee through cafes. The products are more than just coffee — many cafes also have unique interiors and themes. In fact, one of the best and most Instagrammable coffee shops up to date can be found all over the country — Coffee Project. Its great coffee and interior turn coffee breaks into prolonged coffee times.

While coffee time is a loved habit most people cannot let go, consequences come in the waste produced when making one. The used coffee grounds from cafes and households most of the time go to the trash, ending up in landfills. When it decomposes, it releases methane, which, as grade school modules say, is a greenhouse gas harmful to the Earth.

Love for coffee can also be about love for the environment. By recycling, landfill wastes are reduced. Here are a few used coffee ground alternatives that can lessen waste and save the world from continuous climate change:

1. Indoor cleaner and fixer

Make indoors sparkling clean by using coffee. Used grounds make the task of cleaning the house easier and quicker, especially when it comes to dishes and cooking tools.

When coffee is scrubbed on charred parts of metal cooking tools like grills, pans, and pots, the process of removing these unwanted stains becomes faster. It lessens the effort of spending too much force and time cleaning these kitchen wares.

Coffee grounds are also a savior when removing blocked drains and pipes, especially in kitchen sinks. By sprinkling a generous amount of grounds on the drainage, then throwing in boiling water and liquid soap, pipes are left clean and odor-free.

2. Odor neutralizer

Match clean homes with fresh indoor air. Often, air fresheners and scented candles are the go-to things to buy to freshen up indoor air.

Coffee does two things to house scents: (1) they provide a coffee smell when brewing, which coffee lovers die for, as this also tends to be the trademark smell of coffee shops or, (2) they eliminate the odor indoors (coffee grounds).

Coffee grounds in unsealed jars can be placed inside refrigerators and freezers, and in specific spots inside the house where certain scents are frequently overpowering — like in the kitchen. By doing this, indoors feel fresher and more comfortable. A relaxing indoor situation is almost everyone’s goal, especially when many people are now staying at home the majority of the day.

Also, as grounds neutralize odors, they are also helpful in removing strong scents from hands by scrubbing them directly on the skin. This can be done after cooking, or right after chopping garlic.

3. Fertilizer for home garden

Take care of home plants through coffee grounds. After brewing coffee, set aside the used coffee grounds for a gardening time. Mixing grounds with home garden soil makes plants healthier. As a natural fertilizer, coffee grounds help with water retention on the soil, prolonging its moist texture, which is beneficial for the plants. Also, they help in the growth of organisms in the soil, such as earthworms, which benefit the plants’ growth.

While coffee grounds attract healthy organisms, they also keep away destructive ones. Pests like slugs and snails are kept away when coffee is mixed with the soil. Also, if weeds are considered a problem to home gardens, coffee tends to keep these from growing too many.

Coffee grounds have beneficial effects, but they should be kept in moderate use, especially as there are types of plants that do not respond well to this natural fertilizer.

4. The holy grail for skincare

Achieving healthy and clear skin is one of the goals almost everyone has, especially the younger generation. Coffee is one of the skincare ingredients present in face products, given the number of benefits it has when applied to the skin. There are tons of coffee-based masks, moisturizers, serums, and cleansers sold in physical and online stores.

5. Home and art projects

Used grounds can also be art materials. By repurposing it as a paper dye, the coffee-stained paper gives off a “used” or “old” paper effect, completing a vintage journal set-up most wants to achieve. Of course, the coffee scent on paper is just a very welcomed addition.

Also, coffee grounds can be added to homemade scented candles. A coffee-smelling household can be achieved not just through the morning — or late afternoon — coffee brews, but also through lighting coffee-scented candles. Making these is as simple as mixing the used grounds with melted wax and a string.

Doing useful home hacks can also be an important contribution to a greater cause. Recycling coffee grounds, as helpful as they are in reducing produced waste, proves to be a wise move as a coffee lover, and as someone who wants to discover useful household tricks.

By taking care of the planet when recycling possible wastes like coffee, there are also positive effects on a smaller scale such as doing more effective and efficient ways in taking care of one’s home indoors and outdoors. Love for coffee extends beyond making and drinking one!