Blog: A greener caffeine kick for you
I don’t enjoy doing the tea rounds in the office.
One, because I have to boil the water twice if the whole lot is in. And two, because we’re a pretty fussy bunch of people (sorry guys).
Some want the regular tea (the normal people’s drink), others Earl Grey (for the older lot) and sometimes it’s all about coffee.
No, not the instant one (which they forget is quick and easy to make) – but the “proper” coffee for which you have to wait for at least a couple of minutes – depending on who’s drinking, obviously.
And it seems the love and need for that caffeine kick is ever increasing.
The drink once associated with our grandparents – one for the older generation – is now most popular among younger adults. It’s more of a fashion statement, a tradition – even a way of life.
But with 70 million cups of coffee consumed every day in the UK, the waste from all the cappuccinos and lattes is increasing too! A staggering 200,000 tonnes in London alone!
And while that’s usually sent to landfill, one London-based company has come up with a sustainable way of using it.
How? It converts the waste into renewable energy!
Beanergi processes the coffee waste in its facility in Hackney and converts it into tiny pellets – which is then used in a biomass stove for heating.
And that plant can produce up to 260GWh of renewable energy which can power as many as 1,750 coffee shops.
And the company is on a mission! It’s trying to encourage more and more coffee shops and restaurants to join in – and play their part in helping the environment.
During the London Coffee Festival last week(end), Beanergi handed out empty bags to all the coffee stalls in the venue to encourage them to put the their waste to better use.
And while you might think it’s just for the good of the environment – there’s actually a cash incentive for businesses too!
Using the coffee pellets to run biomass boilers generates renewable energy – which means firms can apply for the government’s Renewable Heat Incentive – and earn as much as £1,245 a year!
A double win.
So the next time you head to your nearest Starbucks or Costa to get your fix of that caffeine kick, let’s hope it’s one that gives you that extra jolt of ‘green’ energy…
