[USCC] Coffee Grounds: Options for Diversion

[David Goldstein]

Question: 
What advice do list members have regarding diversion of coffee
grounds?

Issue:
In two years, after a temporary food waste composting permit expires, a
major generator may have to dispose 3,000 tons per year of coffee
grounds. The Ventura County Recycling Market Development Zone wants to
help them develop options.

Background:
A company in Ventura County, California generates approximately 3,000
tons per year of coffee grounds. For years, this was accepted by local
compost facilities and composted with yard clippings. In March 2005,
the
local Environmental Health Department (Local Enforcement Agency, LEA)
deemed the material a food waste and prohibited the compost companies
from taking it, since they were not permitted to take food waste. 

The Ventura County Environmental & Energy Resources Division asked the
California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB) for an opinion on
this matter, and in November 2005, Board staff affirmed the finding of
the LEA. Because coffee grounds were deemed a "food waste," the
facilities had to change their permits or stop taking the material.
Facilities were already struggling with other permit issues and were not
prepared to apply for higher level permits. Board staff suggested a
temporary "research" type of permit as an interim measure.

Eventually, one of the compost companies obtained a temporary (two
year) permit to try taking the coffee grounds as part of a "research"
project. Within two years, they may apply for a permit to handle this
and other "food wastes" on an ongoing basis. Permitting is difficult,
and other issues (such as encroaching development or an adjacent bird
sanctuary) could make it too difficult to expand the permit in this
way.

The Ventura County Recycling Market Development Zone (RMDZ) tried
recruiting Java Logs, a company that makes fire logs out of coffee
grounds. They were not interested in building additional manufacturing
capacity until they do much better with marketing the ones they are
already manufacturing.

Last year, the RMDZ tried to interest another company in making fire
logs out of coffee grounds, but that company wanted only waxed
cardboard.

For more information, or to make suggestions, contact David Goldstein.

DG

david.goldstein at ventura.org 
Ventura County PWA, W&S Dept.
Environmental & Energy Resources Division 800 S. Victoria Ave. #1650
Ventura, CA 93009-1650
(805) 658-4312    www.wasteless.org 



david.goldstein at ventura.org
Ventura County PWA, W&S Dept.
Environmental & Energy Resources Division
800 S. Victoria Ave. #1650  Ventura, CA 93009-1650
(805) 658-4312    www.wasteless.org