GM's Coffee Recycling Program is Grounds for
Sustainability
3,000 pounds a year, and green peppers and tomatoes in
the garden love the nutrients
2012-05-02
WARREN, Mich. - One man's trash really is another man's
treasure. Even old coffee grounds.
John Bradburn, General Motors manager of waste-reduction
efforts, has instituted a coffee grounds recycling program
at the Warren Tech Center where his team works.
The result is saving approximately 3,000 pounds a year of
this nitrogen and phosphorous-rich coffee grounds from
being thrown out with the garbage.
Each week, Bradburn and others within GM's Real Estate and
Facilities group remove two 10-gallon buckets of used
coffee grounds from the coffee area and take it home to use
in their gardens as a substitute for bedding or organic
pest repellent. The
uses for coffee grounds are many, so nobody wants for a
reason to use it.
"I took some of the recycled grounds home last week to use
in my vegetable garden," said Michele Hogan, who works in
accounting on Bradburn's team. "They are a great source of
nutrients for my green peppers and tomatoes."
While less robust than GM's goal of making its plants and
facilities landfill free, the project has proven it has
grounds for sustainability.
And if there's one thing Bradburn can be certain, it's the
amount of java that keeps his team going.
"I never knew our team drank so much coffee," he said. "But
I suppose it's one more reason why this is good for the
environment."
General Motors Co. (NYSE:GM, TSX: GMM) and its partners
produce vehicles in 30 countries, and the company has
leadership positions in the world's largest and
fastest-growing automotive markets. GM's brands
include Chevrolet and Cadillac, as well as Baojun, Buick,
GMC, Holden, Isuzu, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling.
More information on the company and its subsidiaries,
including OnStar, a global leader in vehicle safety,
security and information services, can be found at http://www.gm.com.
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