We produce a lot of coffee grounds. Our upstate stores are diverting about 24 tons per year from landfills and putting them to good use. Cayuga Compost, a local food waste collection & composting business, has been hauling away our grounds for nearly 3 years.
60 gallon compost bins are picked up once a week and replaced with clean ones. Full bins are taken to Cayuga Compost's 4 acre property, just a few miles up the road from our Roastery.
Yard waste is mixed with food waste and other compostable materials, such as paper cups, to create the perfect environment in which organic matter can decompose.
The mixture is formed into tunnel windrows that are turned over and over for about a year before it's ready for use.
As the windrows age, the organic materials break down.
After a year or so, the compost is ready for sale.
Mark Wittig started this whole operation about 10 years ago at the Cayuga Nature Center as a non-profit venture. Thank you Mark!
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