[category]
[title]
Here are some pretty scary stats for you. Did you know NSW is projected to run out of landfill space by 2030? And more than two billion (!) coffee pucks (they’re the compact used coffee grounds) go into Aussie landfills every year. When coffee pucks end up in landfill, they release methane – a greenhouse gas about 30 times more harmful to the planet than carbon dioxide. Yikes. The good news? There are a bunch of passionate people doing something about it.
Award-winning coffee purveyors Single O have been leading the sustainability charge since their 2003 inception. But it was a recent-ish lightbulb moment for founders Emma and Dion Cohen that saw them turn their attention to coffee pucks. They realised they were putting so much consideration into sustainably sourcing, roasting and brewing coffee – but when it came to waste management, the coffee pucks were going straight into the bin. Not anymore.
Single O has teamed up with social enterprise Reground to launch NSW’s first dedicated coffee waste diversion project. They’re calling on Sydney cafés and restaurants to participate in an easy-to-access coffee waste collection service, helping businesses significantly reduce their environmental footprint. Instead of going into landfill, the coffee pucks will be distributed to local gardens.
RELATED READ: Sustainable restaurants, bars and cafés in Sydney.
In the first five years, Single O and Reground hope to divert an estimated three million kilograms of coffee from landfill – that’s equivalent to 85 million cups of coffee. Puck yeah.
A number of leading Sydney cafés have already signed on to the project, including Happyfield, Soulmate Coffee, Superfreak, The Bakery on Glenayr, Three Blue Ducks and Bills.
Mike Brabant, CEO of Single O, says: “Spent grounds are the coffee industry’s hidden waste problem. We so often think about the impact of single-use cups, but not the spent coffee puck from our morning latte that goes to landfill.
“We’re fired up to be changing that – this project gives everyday coffee drinkers a simple way to get involved and help create a more sustainable future for coffee. It’s as simple as supporting your local café that Gives a Puck.”
After just a few weeks, Reground reported on Instagram that 100,000 coffees had been diverted from landfill to gardens!
Sydney cafés, you know what to do. Let’s pucking go.
Find out more here.
Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, food & drink inspo and activity ideas, straight to your inbox.