Halle (The Brussels Morning Newspaper): Patrick Bockmans is transforming leftover coffee grounds into oyster mushrooms and scented candles reducing waste and promoting sustainability. The staff restaurant will feature mushrooms while the hospital sells eco-friendly candles.
Patrick Bockmans from AZ is working with a start-up in Halle to change leftover coffee grounds from big kitchens into something useful. They’re using the coffee grounds to grow oyster mushrooms instead of throwing them away. The coffee grounds are full of nutrients that help the mushrooms grow making it a good way to turn waste into food. They’re also using the coffee grounds to make scented candles not just growing mushrooms.Environmentalist said that this idea helps reduce waste and gives the candles a special texture and smell. It’s a way of using things again and again in a smart way to help the environment stay healthy.
How are coffee grounds being transformed into eco-friendly products?
They collect the coffee grounds in special buckets that drain water to keep them clean from other trash like paper filters. The grounds are then taken for reuse twice a week with around 40 to 50 kilograms delivered every week. The place that gets the coffee grounds sees them as useful stuff not garbage. They can use these grounds in different ways like making compost or adding them to other things which helps cut down on waste and encourages eco-friendly practices.
Starting in September sometimes oyster mushrooms will be on the menu at the staff restaurant as shared by Bockmans.It has been said that Oyster mushrooms are a bit pricey so they won’t be on the menu every day because of their cost. Instead they’ll show up now and then to mix things up on the menu. The restaurant will let everyone know when the oyster mushrooms are available so that everyone can enjoy them. This way they’re showing how special these mushrooms are and how they add something unique to the dining experience for the staff.
The hospital will sell candles that smell like coffee and are made from used coffee grounds. These candles are both eco-friendly and smell good. By using coffee grounds the hospital is cutting down on waste and making a special product that smells nice. The hospital will sell these coffee-scented candles to patients, visitors and staff giving them a way to make the place smell nice in a green way. Hospital is into recycling ideas and lets people enjoy the coffee grounds in a different way.
