Coffee lovers no longer have to worry about the waste they generate from coffee pulp, just like tea and fresh juice lovers. All the pulp of tea, coffee, and juice can be decomposed and used as fertilizers for vegetation or forestation. Although the properties of the pulp of all three are vastly different from each other, the uses have similar advantages and disadvantages.
Using decomposed fruits and vegetables as fertilizer is a common composting technique; however, the use of coffee and tea pulp is not as popular. A recent Science Daily article brought attention to the use of coffee to boost forest recovery. However, it is a common Columbian practice to reuse the coffee pulp in coffee farms. Similar practices take place in Nepal and India with tea pulp (as it is more common to drink tea than coffee there). This Earth Day, let’s learn about how to reduce, reuse, and recycle all the waste from the drinks we absolutely love.
The Science Daily article additionally highlights a study conducted in Costa Rica, where they used coffee pulp on degraded tropical land. The study lasted for two years, and the nutrients in the soil were measured at two times: right before adding the coffee pulp and at the end of the study. It was observed that the nutrients in the soil — carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus — were significantly elevated in the area covered with coffee pulp. Another noticeable change was that trees grew to be four times taller in grounds covered with coffee pulp than the ones without it. In this case, there was no mention of composting the coffee pulp; however, the Columbian practice differs.
According to the Columbian practice, the coffee is left in rooms with walls made of bamboo, floors made of cement, and roofs made of zinc. Fresh coffee pulp is said to contain bacteria, fungi, and yeast which aid in the decomposing process. The pulp takes about four – five months to compost fully. To speed the process by increasing ventilation, the heap of pulp is turned every 15 days. When the coffee pulp has been composted, it is used as a cheap alternative to fertilizer in coffee farms. When there is an annual production of two million tons of coffee pulp, it only makes sense to find a way to reuse it.
Decomposing the coffee pulp before using it as a fertilizer is an important step as it can be contaminated by harmful agents such as Ochratoxin A produced by fungi. Composting coffee in a home environment can also lead to unwanted insects and smells. Since creating designated rooms to compost coffee is not a viable modern solution, small coffee farms use a more recent technique of composting by earthworms, where they layer the earthworms forming beds with the worms every 10-15 cm of thickness. This process, while being faster (takes about three months), is still not the solution for a household.
Those wanting to go green even in the city or suburb can create their own compost in their backyard or an indoor bin. An article by the US Environmental Protection Agency spells out exactly “How to Create and Maintain an Indoor Worm Composting Bin.” Other options include buying a composting bin — there are both indoor and outdoor options.
This study, although not a brand-new discovery, shined light on a very useful and cheap technique to stay green. Coffee is the most consumed drink in the U.S. with about 400 million cups consumed a day. Although these studies have not been thoroughly tested, further research is being pursued to determine the true advantages of coffee waste. However, maybe this Earth Day can inspire you to start composting on your own.
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