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Coffee grounds get everywhere, like when you carelessly empty your percolator or French press into a full washing–up bowl and find yourself wiping used coffee grounds off wine glasses for days afterwards. There are numerous hack-like uses for coffee grounds in the home – in soap and to deter pests in the garden for instance. But there are also companies that are recycling this waste product – less than a quarter of the bean is actually used – of the most widely drunk beverage in the world in ingenious ways to create something entirely new. Here are three of the best:
Clothing
Taiwan’s Singtex make fabric out of used coffee grounds by combining them with polyester from recycled bottles to create a yarn. The presence of coffee helps to eliminate odours and means the fabric, which has been used by huge brands such as Adidas and Timberland in their products, dries quickly. The grounds are collected from coffee shops across Taiwan every morning.
Biofuel
London-based Bio-Bean can process up to 50,000 tonnes of used coffee grounds a year into pellets, briquettes and biodiesel that can be used to heat homes and fuel cooking appliances such as BBQs. Check out the video below to learn more.
Jewellery
Rosalie McMillan, also London–based, is a luxury jewellery designer who works with reimagined materials. Her Java Ore collection combines a dark, stone–like material made from coffee grounds with silver and gold.
Photo: Rosalie McMillan/Facebook
