My uncle in Ohio made me rethink our whole compost setup

I was bragging to my uncle about our new compost bin and how we finally got it right after a year of trial. He just nodded and then asked where I got my carbon materials from. I said we just used whatever leaves fell in the yard. He told me he drives 20 minutes to a local coffee shop every week to pick up their used coffee grounds and paper filters. Said his pile heats up way faster and breaks down in half the time with that consistent brown material. It hit me different because I never thought about sourcing inputs like that, I just took what was around. Now I'm calling three coffee shops near me to see who will let me grab their grounds. Anyone else found a weird local source for compost materials that made a big difference?

2 comments

2 Comments

john_hunt23d ago

Have you ever tried asking a local brewery for their spent grain? I did that a few years back after a buddy mentioned it, and it made a noticeable difference in my pile. That stuff is mostly carbon like coffee grounds but with a little more nitrogen, and it really kicked up the heat. I ended up getting a 5-gallon bucket full every other week for free, they were happy to get rid of it. Your mileage may vary on availability, but it's worth a call if you have a brewery nearby.

willow_anderson853d ago

My local brewery looked at me like I had three heads when I asked, but then handed me a trash bag full of grain and said "please take more." Now I'm wondering if I accidentally started a side business selling compost to my neighbors.