Coffee and cycling go brilliantly together. That’s why Grounds for Recycling, led by Glasgow Chamber of Commerce and in partnership with Glasgow Life and Zero Waste Scotland, will see over 50 cycle-friendly coffee shops and local roasters join forces to turn used coffee grounds into something better.
This hospitality and tourism-led campaign, designed to help tackle food waste, takes place throughout Glasgow this summer from 25 July to 13 August and coincides with the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships.
Many members will remember the innovative Glasgow Chamber and hospitality industry led initiative Plate up for Glasgow, a food waste reduction campaign launched during COP26. Grounds for Recycling is the next iteration, devised by the initiative’s lead, Rebecca Ricketts, Senior Project Adviser at Glasgow Chamber.
She says: “Following the original Plate up for Glasgow campaign, most venues told us that they found used coffee grounds one of the most challenging food waste items to dispose of responsibly. They’re heavy, wet and add considerable weight to their general/food bins – and waste collection bills.
As well as increased operational costs for our businesses, coffee waste negatively impacts our climate. In one year alone, Scotland sends around 40,000 tons of used coffee to landfill, emitting harmful greenhouse gases, a key cause of climate change.”
As Glasgow’s love of coffee continues to grow, it’s crucial that the city finds circular ways to reuse and recycle coffee ground waste.
“It’s for this reason that we’ve teamed up with the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships. With cycling and coffee being synonymous, we’ll look to turn a global spotlight on both, highlighting their role in addressing climate change, while demonstrating how Glasgow is taking proactive steps towards reaching its net zero and circular goals.”
Launching on Tuesday 25 July, coffee lovers across the city are invited to jump on a bike and visit any one of Grounds for Recycling’s 50 participating venues.
Having pledged to divert all their used coffee grounds from their general waste during the campaign period, all used coffee grounds from participating venues will be collected by e-cargo bike and delivered to Glasgow’s Botanic Gardens. From there, they will be turned into compost to build ecosystems that capture carbon, rehabilitate soil, and support wildlife and biodiversity.
The campaign will also offer easy tips and tools for supporting those on their wider food waste reduction journey, in addition to showcasing several Glasgow based businesses and Chamber members who have already embraced innovative circular ways to repurpose and profit from using waste coffee.
Rebecca said: “The response from many Glasgow venues, stakeholders and partners has been spectacular and demonstrates the city’s absolute commitment to making a positive long-term impact by making one small change and adopting the circular economy.”
If you are a business who would like to support a longer-term solution for our city’s used coffee grounds and/or learn more about how the circular economy might benefit your organisation, please contact Rebecca Ricketts at: rebecca.ricketts@glasgowchamberofcommerce.com
