Used coffee grounds from a cafe are being used to perk up gardens in Wrexham.
The Starbucks branch at the Eagles Meadow shopping centre is handing out free bags of the nitrogen-rich grounds to customers.
Manager Divina Quin says the grounds are a wonderful nutritional soil additive and each day the used grounds are saved and bagged ready for the green-fingered coffee lovers.
She explained: “During the brewing process most of the acidity is removed from the coffee beans leaving used grounds with an average ph of 6.9 and a carbon-nitrogen ratio of 20-to-1.
“By adding grounds directly to gardens and applying this green material as a side dressing to nitrogen-loving plants, including most perennials and alliums it can have a really beneficial effect on gardens and allotments.
“Grounds can prove particularly beneficial when mixed with brown materials such as leaves or dried grass.
“It also makes a wonderful additive to compost. Combined with brown material, it can really help make a good compost particularly if used within two or three weeks of brewing.”
“The bags of used coffee grounds are becoming increasingly popular with our customers. Bags can be collected from the café for free. It has to be better that our used coffee grounds are used as a good soil conditioner rather than going into landfill sites.”
Retired fire officer and dedicated Starbucks customer Arthur Roberts, 85, of Trefor, couldn’t agree more.
He is adding used coffee grounds to his flower beds this year to help improve the soil.
Arthur said: “It seems like a great idea to me and its good that Starbucks are giving away the used grounds for free.
“I grow quite a lot of flowers such as geraniums, daffodils and other flowers and I am hoping the grounds will help me put on a good show.
“My late wife was the real gardener and she would have loved the idea of making use of waste material such as coffee grounds as a soil additive so I am definetly giving it a go.”
He added: “I come to Starbucks at Eagles Meadow every day, unless I am away on holiday. I enjoy sitting and reading my paper with a cup of coffee. There is always a friendly atmosphere.
“The coffee is great and the staff here at Eagles Meadow are brilliant and so friendly. I’d be lost without my daily dose of Starbucks to be honest!”
The initiative is helping to underline the shopping centre’s green credentials.
It was revealed recently that 93 per cent of the waste materials from Eagles Meadow are recycled.
On top of that last year they cut water consumption by 20 per cent and electricity use by 11 per cent.
Eagles Meadow Manager Kevin Critchley said: “Giving the used coffee grounds to local gardeners is a brilliant idea – no wonder it’s growing in popularity!”
