Always in pursuit to help the environment, Jamaica Plain's City Councilor Matt O'Malley recently teamed up with J.P. Licks to debut Boston's first coffee composting station.
Courtesy J.P. Licks
Left to right: J.P. Licks roaster Hank Rose, District 6 City Councilor Matt O'Malley and J.P. Licks founder/owner Vince Petryk.
Did you know that when composted used coffee grounds are a fantastic source of nitrogen? That makes coffee grounds great for composting and gardening.
So starting Dec. 27, J.P. Licks will be giving away used ground coffee from their in-house roaster every Tuesday and Thursday.
"J.P. Licks works to be a part of every community where our stores are located. We donated to over 1,100 small, local charities last year alone and this felt like a logical next step in meeting a local need," said J.P. Licks founder/owner Vince Petryk. "With so many environmentally conscious people in Boston and the surrounding towns and us having this amazing resource of coffee grounds, it felt like an important way to connect with the neighborhoods we call home."
Petryk added that if the program is well received he would like to expand it to more stores by this coming summer. He also has very fond memories of using coffee grounds for his grandmother’s rose plants when he was a kid.
“It was wonderful to be at the JP Licks coffee roaster this morning to celebrate a beloved local business practicing sustainability. This idea started with my efforts on the Council with Congresswoman-elect Ayanna Pressley to advocate for a curbside composting program across Boston," said O'Malley. "Used coffee grounds are a great way to fertilize our city’s gardens, and programs such as this one demonstrate the demand for composting and reducing landfill waste. I’m grateful to JP Licks and to the broader JP community for their support for environmentally-friendly living in our city.”
Courtesy J.P. Licks
J.P. Licks is giving away their used ground coffee from their in-house roaster every Tuesday and Thursday starting December 27, 2018, while supplies last.
O’Malley is the chairman of the Boston City Council's Environment, Sustainability and Parks Committee and in 2017 he sponsored a hearing on the feasibility of implementing a curbside composting program in Boston.
Previously, O'Malley led the city to pass a law that would reduce gas leaks, improve safety, help the environment and lessen the cost of gas. But it has not been implemented due to gas company National Grid's lawsuit opposing its implementation.
Curbside composting actually combats global climate change by reducing carbon emissions, strengthen the local economy and the popularity of J.P. Licks' new program will show how popular it is in the community.