SEATTLE?—?In Starbucks Corp.'s hometown
of Seattle, even the flower beds smell like coffee,
the result of a popular program to hand out spent
grounds to gardeners as a nitrogen-rich mulch or
compost.
Under the plan, dubbed "Grounds For Your Garden," the
world's largest coffee shop chain cuts its
trash bill by enlisting customers to haul off
a chunk of its garbage and earns praise from
environmentalists for creating chemical-free
fertilizer.
"We continue to see a tremendous amount of
interest in this particular program," said
Ben Packard, Starbucks director of environmental
affairs. "We don't give away a lot of free
things in our stores."
Starbucks has handed out coffee grounds for
years?—?but only when customers asked for it.
Now in a nod toward Earth Day, Starbucks has
mounted a major push, setting out five-pound
bags of grounds in bins at its approximately
4,000 North American company-owned cafes.
Coffee grounds make up 17 percent of Starbucks'
store waste by volume or 40 percent by weight.
The company has not calculated how much it
saves on its trash bill through the program
but says about 25 percent of its stores had
been participating.
The program is especially popular in Seattle,
where the mild, wet climate supports fanatical,
year-round gardeners, including many who shun
chemicals and pass by a Starbucks store?—?there
are 420 in Washington state?—?every few blocks.
In addition, Portland, Oregon; San Francisco;
Massachusetts; and parts of Florida have similar
support for recycling and have embraced grounds
composting. People in colder cities show less
interest, though Starbucks will reassess the
demand after the current month-long promotion
ends.
Just how good is coffee for your garden?
"It's a good way to increase good organic
matter in your compost. You can use also it
as a mulch with one or two inches to hold in
moisture and keep weeds down," said Spencer
Orman, a "master composter" who works with
the organic gardening group Seattle Tilth.
Coffee is acidic, which can harm some plants
but benefits others like evergreens and rhododendrons.
The nitrogen it releases is a key ingredient
in composting along with carbon, water, and
air.
Orman remembers Starbucks dumping a truckload
of grounds at a community garden four years
ago, where its fine texture helps it break
down quickly. It also is particularly attractive
to worms, which turn organic material into
compost by eating it, and then excreting it.
"I have had good results, and worms love it," Orman
said.
Do worms, like people, get the same caffeine
buzz that has addicted millions of humans?
"That hasn't been documented, but I wouldn't
doubt it," Orman said.