Just like tea, coffee is a wonderful source of nutrients for your composting. Even with the nutrients lost in the brewing process, it is a wonderful nitrogen source. They’re about 2% nitrogen by volume! So, yes, you can compost coffee grounds, and you should. Additionally, it provides more moisture into your composting system, which is a great addition.
Can You Compost Coffee Filters?
Composting coffee filters isn’t as straightforward a response. Like other paper products, you have to consider the type of paper. Let’s take a look at the different types of coffee filters out there:
- White Paper Filters – These are white-colored paper coffee filters. The white means that the paper has been bleached. Some claim that the bleach is fully washed off in the process. You probably want to be careful about adding too much.
- Brown Paper Filters – These are compostable without any bleaching considerations.
Composting Keurig K-Cup Coffee
The coffee found in K-Cups is just like other coffee. The filter is typically compostable (follow the same guidelines as above.) You can just pour out the coffee into your compost. The aluminum lid and the cup are not compostable and must be thrown out.
How to Compost Coffee Grounds and Coffee Filters
Coffee grounds are one of the easiest things to compost. You pour it into your compost. That’s it.
For the filter, if it’s compostable, consider tearing it up first. A full coffee filter can take a while to decompose. To help with this, you should rip it into smaller pieces. That will help speed things up.
How to Compost K-Cup Coffee
For a K-Cup, it’s actually pretty easy:
- Let it cool (don’t burn yourself)
- Peel the top off and throw that away (it’s usually foil).
- Empty the grounds into your compost
- If the filter is compostable, rip it out of the cup and add that to your compost (if it’s paper). You may want to tear it apart first.
- Throw out the cup, and recycling it if you can. Unfortunately, they usually aren’t labeled with the type of plastic and so probably aren’t recyclable (boo Keurig!)
Can I Compost Coffee Grounds and Coffee Filters
Yes! Coffee grounds are a great material to add to your compost pile. They are a rich source of nitrogen which can be partially balanced by the carbon in the coffee filter.
If you are very motivated and have enough space in your compost piles, you can normally go to coffee shops and they will happily give you coffee grounds for free to compost.