Sea-Tac Baristas Recycle Two Tons of Coffee Grounds Monthly

-Coffee grounds to be recycled into compost, used on airport landscaping-

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is a facility that never sleeps, and now we know why.

Each month, baristas at the airport's many latte stands go through two tons of coffee grounds.

Airport officials discovered the amazing number when they started a program to recycle the used grounds and filters.

“We knew a lot of coffee was being sold,” said Doug Holbrook, airport utilities manager. “But we never expected to get two tons of material every month.”

Coffee grounds tend to be wet, heavy and bulky. Getting them out of the garbage is good for the environment, and saves a few thousand dollars a year in landfill fees.

“Once again, we're seeing that good environmental practices also can be good business practices,” Holbrook added.

Overall, airport recycling and energy conservation initiatives save about $2 million annually. That's money that travelers and airlines no longer have to pay toward operation of the airport.

The grounds are sent to composting facilities in southeast King County, and are mixed with yard waste and other material to become commercial compost. The airport will use finished compost from those same facilities on airport landscaping.

“That closes the environmental loop,” Holbrook said. “We'll just have to watch and make sure our plants don't get the jitters.”