Coffee Residue: From Waste to Gold

Over the past decades, worldwide coffee consumption has been on the rise, with more than 2.25 billion cups consumed on a daily basis. In the UK, daily coffee consumption in 2017 exceeded 95 million cups, leading to the creation of more than 500,000 tonnes of coffee grounds being wasted.

As so, it’s important to rethink the way that coffee residue is handled, by looking at both the environmental and economic benefits that can be developed. The first step towards doing so is by tackling the problem at the early stages of coffee production. This can be done by looking at the various ways that the outer skin of the coffee cherry, also known as “pulp”, can be used. Instead of it being wasted in landfills, it can be diverted towards battling food insufficiency by acting as an alternative to either flour or tea.

However, considering the fact that the most significant amount of coffee waste generated is through used coffee grounds, it is of great importance to reexamine the way that coffee residue is handled.

There are a number of ways that used coffee grounds can be repurposed, such as for heating, creating biofuel, and producing environmentally friendly coffee cups. By doing so, not only can significant reductions of CO₂ emissions be achieved, but also economic benefits and savings for various players within the sector.

In order to showcase the path that can be pursued, Market Inspector has created the following infographic, with key points towards turning coffee waste into gold.

There are a number of ways the increasing negative impact of coffee residue in the environment can be tackled. The growing demand for coffee products makes it necessary for both British as well as international corporations to rethink their policies and ways of thinking, in order to minimise the number of wasted coffee residue generated on an annual basis.

By doing so, businesses can have significant capital savings, achieved by reducing their waste disposal budget and retailing various byproducts, with the goal of working towards turning coffee residue from waste to gold.