A soil-less solution for coffee waste

An Australian producer of modular and custom-designed greenwalls — The Greenwall Company — is putting ground coffee waste to good use in its soil-less medium for greenwalls and greenroofs.

An estimated 75,000 tonnes of ground coffee waste is produced by Australians each year, most of which ends up in landfill — contributing to climate change via the production of the greenhouse gas methane.

In a bid to reduce the company’s carbon footprint, founder Mark Paul created a soil-less inorganic medium — of which ground coffee is just one component — to mimic the natural growing conditions of plants. Going soil-less reduces the overall weight of the wall or gabion and eliminates the need to replace the soil on a regular basis.

“Over the past six months we have sourced coffee ground waste from Harvest Store & Kitchen in Newport, our local coffee shop, and included it in our patented media formula,” Paul explained.

“Our trials on various walls and in our gabions used for greenroofs are proving to be a more sustainable and cost-effective solution, with the plant species continuing to flourish.”

The Greenwall Company tested greenwalls and greenroofs made up of 94% Australian recyclable materials that would otherwise end up in landfill.

“Our aim has always been to reduce our carbon footprint by using everyday recyclable items,” Paul said.

“By diverting coffee waste from landfill, we are helping to reduce greenhouse gases going into our atmosphere while creating a sustainable habitat for small animals and insects and also protecting the lifespan of our plants.”