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Starbucks Serves Up Coffee Grounds for Compost

Starbucks Serves Up Coffee Grounds for Compost

Published 03-20-00

Submitted by Starbucks Corporation

Spring is in the air and the gardening season is in full swing. To help gardeners get a compost pile off to a healthy start, Starbucks Coffee Company (SBUX: Nasdaq) is offering coffee grounds. Composting coffee grounds provides a good nutrition source for a garden and is a great waste management technique.

“Recycling the grounds back into the garden is a better alternative than throwing them away in the trash,” said Ben Packard, Starbucks environmental affairs manager. “At Starbucks, we continually strive to find innovative and creative ways to positively contribute to a healthier environment.”

Starbucks coffee grounds are free of charge and may be picked up at any retail location – based on availability. Ellen Kirby, director of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s Brooklyn GreenBridge program explains the best way to start a compost pile with coffee grounds.

“Coffee grounds can provide a valuable source of nutrients for garden soil if used properly,” said Kirby. “Grounds mixed with leaves and clippings from the yard, along with kitchen scraps and fruit peels, are core ingredients for great compost.”

To begin composting at home, Kirby recommends that gardeners start filling a wooden or plastic bin with the mixture of leaves and other yard trimmings; then mix in coffee grounds and kitchen scraps (no animal products). To help the pile decompose faster, it is important to make sure that the materials are moist but not soggy, so add water as necessary. Aerating the pile by mixing and turning also encourages the composting process. Compost is ready for the garden when it has fully decomposed into a dark rich soil-like material. For more information on composting, customers can contact the Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s Compost Help Line at 718-623-7290 or refer to their website at www.bbg.org/compost.html.

Brooklyn GreenBridge, the community horticulture program of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, is designed to share the knowledge and resources of BBG with the neighborhoods of the borough. Working with block associations, community gardens, community centers and other groups, Brooklyn GreenBridge promotes conservation and community through gardening activities.

Starbucks Coffee Company is the leading retailer, roaster and brand of specialty coffee in the world. In addition to its retail locations in North America, the United Kingdom, the Pacific Rim and the Middle East, Starbucks sells whole bean coffees through its specialty sales group, direct response business, supermarkets and online at Starbucks.com. Additionally, Starbucks produces and sells bottled Frappuccino® coffee drink and a line of superpremium ice creams through its joint venture partnerships and offers a line of innovative premium teas produced by its wholly-owned subsidiary, Tazo Tea Company.

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Starbucks Corporation

Starbucks Corporation

It's the way we do business Contributing positively to our communities and environment is so important to Starbucks that it's a guiding principle of our mission statement. We jointly fulfill this commitment with partners (employees), at all levels of the company, by getting involved together to help build stronger communities and conserve natural resources.

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