Over the summer months Tralee Chamber Alliance in collaboration with Kerry County Council, Higgins Waste, Tralee Tidy Towns, Glan Tralee, and local cafes have been working on a pilot project aptly named Cup to Earth.
Each week over the summer, Sean Higgins has coordinated coffee grounds collection from Parkgate Coffee, Yummy Café, and The Ugly Mug Coffee shop. This coffee waste has then been brought to Higgins compost yard and mixed with green waste and cuttings, a process in which Sean has undertaken an extensive composting course. After months of treating the compost the intention is to provide the now enriched compost to Tralee Tidy Towns free of charge to use in their town planting projects.
Ahead of starting the project we undertook research on the circular bio economy and how best the Tralee Chamber Alliance and invested parties could take steps in first reducing and then ethically disposing of coffee waste, both reducing waste costs for the cafes and providing a much needed source for peat-free compost which is in short supply at present.
In this research we interacted with key personnel of the MTU and Kerry County Council to highlight the benefits and importance of projects like the Cup to Earth and how taking steps to reduce our lasting impact on the planet can benefit future generations.
This project has been funded by Kerry County Councils Community Support Fund.
Watch the full Cup to Earth Video here.