JP Licks To Give Away Used Coffee Grounds For Composters

JAMAICA PLAIN, MA — J.P. Licks' is getting into the composting business and finding a way to get rid of its used coffee grounds. Beginning next week the iconic ice cream spot will offer a free used coffee grounds for folks who want to use them in their compost piles.

The grounds are rich in nitrogen and can be used as a fertilizer by adding organic material to the soil.

Boston City Councilor Matt O’Malley serves as chairman of Environment, Sustainability and Parks along with City Councilor Ayanna Pressley sponsored a hearing this past summer on the feasibility of implementing a curbside composting program in the City of Boston.

Chris Osgood, chief of Streets for the City of Boston said that last year 240,000 tons of trash, recycling, yard waste were picked up last year. Of that 150,000 tons were either single stream recycling or yard waste. But 190,000 tons were trash. Of the trash pick up about one third or 60,000 tons was estimated to be organic material including 40,000 tons food waste.

That means more food or yard waste was thrown out than the city's total combined yard waste and recycling picked up, he said.

In 2013, Boston started "Project Oscar" a composting pilot program Got Food Scraps? City Launches Compost Program. Since then the program has slowly expanded, but five years later it's still considered a pilot program. JP has two community compost bins in the parking lot of the Curtis Hall Community Center on South Street, which have to get emptied twice a week.

The City of Boston also has a compost site is where it processes yard waste, turns it into compost and leaf mulch, which is then used in gardens and parks across the city.

"This is just the start," said Osgood during the hearing. The city is considering ways to expand ways to expand composting in the city including curbside compost.

O'Malley said in a release he expects J.P. Licks’ initiative to recycle the coffee grounds rather than ditch them and the demand for the used grounds from within the community will highlight a need for curbside composting which works to combat global climate change, reduce carbon emissions and strengthen the local economy.

On Friday, O’Malley and owner of J.P. Licks, Vince Petryk will officially announce more details about the program.

The initiative will begin on Thursday, Dec. 27, at the Jamaica Plain store. Every Tuesday and Thursday staff will provide free used coffee grounds from their in-house roaster to the community every Tuesday and Thursday while supplies last.

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From the hearing:

Photo by Jenna Fisher/Patch Staff