In Ireland, phys.org has compiled a list of the many ways coffee waste is being repurposed worldwide into useful products.
In Italy, product designer Julian Lechner is using spent coffee grounds and renewable glues to manufacture durable goods such as espresso and cappuccino cups. In Taiwan, a company is using coffee grounds to produce yard with natural anti-odor and fast-drying properties. To date, shirts, bedding and footwear have been produced. The oil extracted from the grounds is also repurposed for use in cosmetics.
UK-based entrepreneur Adam Fairweather makes office furniture made from spent coffee grounds and recycled plastic. The resulting furniture is scratch-resistant and produced without finishing steps such as sanding. Also in the UK, Arthur Kay’s company processes spent grounds into pellets that can replace wooden logs in stoves.
In Spain and Germany, Raúl Laurí Pla and Fermin Benedi Bayer, respectively, are making lamps from coffee waste that even has coffee’s invigorating aroma. And in California, screen printers Alex White and John Mohr found spent coffee grounds to be the best natural option for textile ink.
According to phys.org, for every 100 grams of coffee used, 91 grams of coffee waste is generated.