Working with Wormganix, a producer of worm castings, Veolia has recycled three tonnes of spent coffee grounds, the equivalent of 420,000 single shot coffees. The Wormganix unique method feeds worms a mixture of paper pulp and spent coffee grounds that they digest to produce a nutrient rich fertiliser such as humus or vermicompost, that contains beneficial microbes, fungi and bacteria that improves soil health.
The Veolia Wormganix trial is currently taking place with a Starbucks store in Bradford, West Yorkshire, where Veolia facilitates the collection of the spent coffee grounds to be mixed with paper pulp and fed to the worms to digest. The Wormganix facility is based just outside Bradford in Cleckheaton, only six miles away from the participating store.
Commenting on the Wormganix and Starbucks partnership, Veolia’s Managing Director for Commercial, Adam Wylie said: “We are always looking for innovative solutions to help our customers with their sustainability goals and this project utilises new methods to tackle a challenging waste stream. We are looking forward to seeing the results of the trial and the positive impact that it can have on the coffee industry.”
Veolia has focused on the production and sale of high quality and sustainable fertiliser into the horticultural industry supporting clients with their environmental goals. With opportunities from farming earthworms on organic wastes, the results from this project have the potential to kick start a new industry that recycles nutrients back into the food chain from previous waste streams.
