Independent coffee chain Bean Coffee and Walton Vale Community Shop in north Liverpool join forces to combat climate change. Tony McDonough reports
500,000 tonnes of coffee waste goes to landfill in the UK every year. Stock image
Liverpool-based coffee chain Bean Coffee is teaming up with Walton Vale Community Shop in a push to divert coffee grounds from landfill and combat climate change.
Every year the UK buries 500,000 tonnes of coffee grounds – the used beans that remain in the coffee maker – into landfills, releasing methane, a potent greenhouse gas.
Bean and Walton Vale Community Shop have formed ‘The Coffee Collective’. They will collect coffee grounds from Bean Coffee shops and other independent cafes across the Liverpool city region.
This pilot project will collect the used grounds, dry, test, and bag theme before distribution to community gardens, allotments, and farms for use as fertiliser.
Jon Whyte, co-founder of Bean which operates a number of outlets in Liverpool city region and across the North West, said: “Having a use for waste coffee grounds that is helping communities and reduces our carbon footprint and aligns perfectly with our overall ESG and sustainability agenda.”
Walton Vale Community Shop is working with numerous local partners, including Archbishop Beck and Kensington Field, to collect coffee grounds from independent cafes.
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Firefit Hub will utilise the project as an educational tool to raise awareness of waste management’s environmental impact. And the Torus Foundation will contribute to promoting the initiative among its network of community groups, gardens, and allotments.
Liverpool city centre-based consultancy Carbon Happy World will test the dried coffee, monitor the carbon stored to prevent it from being released.
Ann O’Byrne, managing director of the Walton Vale Community Shop, added: “Bean Coffee’s desire to help our community and support us in our aims of sustainable living and climate education shows how local business working with a community hub like Walton Vale Shop can make a difference ”
The Coffee Collective’ requires funding to reach its full potential. The project aims to raise £43,825, with £3,625 already secured through initial crowdfunding efforts. Click here for more information or to contribute.
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