How to dispose of coffee grounds? As they are rich in nitrogen, used coffee grounds – when used wisely – are to be considered as a really good source of nutrients for the soil. First of all, one should note it is incorrect to use them directly on your plants. You should let them decompose before sprinkling them in your garden, since their composition needs to be degraded before plants can absorb the required nutrients they hold. There is another reason for which you need to allow for decomposition: plant roots could be damaged by the heat produced during the decomposition process, therefore it is important not to use coffee grounds right away.
The Hong Kong Organic Waste Recycling Centre regularly receives coffee grounds and melts them with other kinds of food waste, in order to obtain a mixture that runs through a composting tunnel facilitating the degradation process. After this pile is correctly stirred and made regular, it is properly aerated and gets finally gets prepared to be mixed with the soil.
Some insects – such as ants, slugs and snails – tend to be annoyed by the smell of coffee and will stay away from your plants. This generates several benefits for the compost heap as well. It is better not to overdose with the coffee grounds! Too much nitrogen would throw off the balance, becoming harmful to some plant species.
