Local roaster Single O has partnered with Melbourne-based innovators Reground to launch New South Wales’ first dedicated coffee waste diversion program, giving cafes across the state a practical way to keep their coffee grounds out of landfill.
Every year, over 75,000 tonnes of coffee grounds (that's around 2 billion coffee pucks) end up in landfill across Australia, where they release methane, a greenhouse gas around 30 times more harmful than carbon dioxide. It’s a hidden environmental issue, often overlooked in an industry that prides itself on ethics and craft. Single O’s latest initiative, part of its Giving a Puck campaign, aims to change that, turning used coffee pucks into valuable compost for community and home gardens.
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Up to 70 per cent of a cafe’s food waste is coffee. In landfill, that waste contributes significantly to a venue’s emissions. With Reground’s system in place, cafés will now be able to separate their used grounds into dedicated bins for collection. The material is then upcycled into compost and soil enhancers, supporting urban gardens and local growers.
Several leading Sydney cafés have already signed on, including Three Blue Ducks, Happyfield, Soulmate Coffee, Superfreak, The Bakery on Glenayr and Bills. Zero-waste roaster Kua Coffee is also backing the program, covering collection costs for its customers such as The Commons, Optiver, and Vivcourt Trading.
Reground has been running similar programs in Melbourne for a decade, diverting more than two million kilograms of coffee grounds from landfill. Expanding into New South Wales marks a major step forward for both the brand and the industry as a whole. Over the next five years, Reground expects to recover around three million kilograms of coffee grounds, preventing hundreds of thousands of kilograms of greenhouse gas emissions in the process.
Single O CEO Mike Brabant has long seen coffee waste as the next frontier in sustainability. Tackling spent grounds, he says, is essential to the brand’s broader No Death to Coffee mission, a push for circular practices across every stage of coffee production. With Single O now a certified B Corporation, this partnership reinforces its position as one of the country’s most progressive roasters, leading by example and inviting the rest of the café community to join in.
Reground Founder Ninna Larsen says the initiative is about rethinking what coffee waste can be. The team has already found ways to use the material in everything from worm farms and mushroom cultivation to compost and even sustainable building products. It’s proof that something as simple as your morning latte can have a positive impact, if disposed of the right way.
Home coffee brewers can also get in on the act by composting coffee grounds and mixing them into garden soil. Composting is best, since coffee grounds are high in nitrogen and help balance out carbon-heavy materials. In the garden, mix the coffee grounds through the soil rather than leaving them on top to prevent clumping. As a bonus, worms love them.
The NSW rollout begins with participating cafés across Sydney, with plans to open the program to all cafés and restaurants from April 2026.
To learn more or register your café, visit reground.com.au/reground-sydney or singleo.com.au/pages/giving-a-puck.