Whether you use an espresso machine, a bean to cup machine, a cafetière or any other coffee brewing method, one thing you'll always have is coffee grounds to dispose of. To reduce the waste we thought we'd give you some of our favourite ways to make use of them.
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First up, James loves his garden so most of our coffee grounds go to good use on our plants and veg. You can also chuck them in your compost bin, if you have one. Or you can put the grounds directly on top of the soil around your plants/veg or what ever you grow. It is a brilliant fertiliser because it has lots of minerals such as phosphorous, calcium, potassium, and iron amongst others. Plus it stops slugs and nasties getting to your veg and eating it all.
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Odor neutraliser, yes thats right, you can use it to remove smells. Coffee grounds have nitrogen in them, and nitrogen has the ability to neutralise smells in the air. With veg and food you tend to get smells rumenating from the fridge so we have a pot of old grounds in the fridge. The smells will disappear.
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Cook with it, many people use fresh coffee grounds in Mexican dishes, BBQ rubs and more. But used grounds are great for meat marinades. Just re-brew the grounds, let them cool, and pour the coffee over the meat. This helps to tenderise, keep it moist, and it will bring out the natural flavour of the meat. Just get rid of the liquid before cooking.
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If you like a good skin routine, you can use coffee grounds to create a great skin exfoliator. Coffee grounds are naturally rough so help remove dead skin and clear pores. You can also add some to coconut oil and make a paste, giving your natural exfoliator a great texture. But we're not Jonathan Van Ness, so if you like the idea check out some recipes first. Side note, if you don't know who Jonathan Van Ness is then you don't know what you're missing.
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Lastly, and it's a little niche, but if you live in a area that gets lots of snow, you can use coffee grounds like you would salt. The nitrogen in it doesn't allow ice to form so the snow melts. It can also provides some friction points to walk on.
So there you go 5 ways to reuse and recycle coffee grounds, helping the environment and maybe even saving you a little money, so you can buy more coffee.