Wellington Airport coffee grounds to be recycled into premium compost

Coffee grounds leftover from the coffee consumption of over six million passengers a year at Wellington Airport will be turned into the premium compost, ZooDoo, by not-for-profit organisation Second Chance.

Part of a wider waste reduction programme managed by WeAreYou Sustainable Solutions, Wellington Airport launched the initiative in January. According to assistant facilities manager at Wellington Airport Simon Hart,

“So far it’s working well and this initiative alongside others has seen Wellington airport make steady progress towards reducing the waste we are sending to landfill. It takes time and a lot of different airport organisations working together to make this a success, but we are really encouraged with the results we have seen so far and the willingness of everyone to take part.”

Drinking coffee at the airport generates about 18,000 kilos of coffee grounds each year, equivalent to the weight of four adult elephants.

Hart adds, “Due to the volume of coffee grounds, we had to look around to see who would be able to process such a large amount. Fortunately we were able to collaborate with Second Chance who run the ZooDoo programme with Auckland and Wellington Zoos.”

A weekly collection of coffee grounds get transported to Second Chance’s ZooDoo programme where it is mixed in with other materials to create a premium compost product for sale. Profits raised from ZooDoo support efforts for the prevention of suicide.

ZooDoo’s marketing manager Marg Smith adds,

“Adding coffee grounds provides another layer of complexity, enhancing our compost so it’s fantastic for us and for the airport. Coffee grounds are good for the garden - conditioning the soil, helping to deter slugs and snails and attracting and feeding worms.”

Other waste management projects in the pipeline for Wellington Airport include phasing out the use of plastic cutlery and enhancing the volume of recycling in public spaces.

For more information about Zoo Doo visit www.zoodoo.co.nz