Fluvanna man teams up with Dunkin’ to recycle coffee grounds

FLUVANNA COUNTY, Va. (WVIR) - A new program in Fluvanna County is taking used coffee grounds and recycling them for use around the home and garden.

“Sixty million metric tons of coffee grounds are dumped into landfills. So I thought, ‘Well, you know, what is a little bit we can do to help out?’” Gary Greenwood said.

Greenwood teaches in Fluvanna County. He says the idea to recycle coffee grounds came to him after he read an article.

“He asked if I would be willing to give him my used coffee grounds that we use in the store. Thought it was a little odd. Never had that request before,” Geri Anderson with Dunkin said.

Anderson started giving Greenwood 80 pounds of grounds every week.

“It saves us on a lot of really heavy trash bags,” Anderson said. “It’s worked out great.”

Greenwood then distributes those coffee grounds to anyone who wants them.

“Some people just put it in their compost pile,” he said. “Also keeps certain bugs away, like slugs and snails and that sort of thing.”

His goal is to recycle 2 metric tons per year.

“Whatever little bit helps,” Greenwood said. “We got a lot more to do, but we need to get more people involved in this kind of things. But this is good. If we can get the word out there, other places see it and get started.”

There are three pick up buckets at Dunkin’, Tractor Supply, and Pleasant Grove Park.

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