Many of us are working to become more sustainable in our personal lives; be it recycling, buying less or creating less waste. In fact, our trash could become our treasure with a bit of creativity and effort.

Put your caffeine addiction to good use; between sprucing up your beauty routine, cleaning your kitchen utensils and getting rid of pests, used coffee grounds can be used in so many ways. Here are eight ideas on how to repurpose used coffee grounds:

1.

Compost

For those lucky to have a garden or even a space where you grow plants, you can use your used coffee grounds as compost. Adding compost to your garden can help the soil hold onto more nutrients and water, improving the health of your plants. In fact, studies have found that compost made with coffee grounds and kitchen waste contains more nutrients than compost made with waste alone.

See also: The Truth About… Fair Trade Coffee

2.

Remove Under Eye Circles

Many things can contribute to the development of dark circles and puffiness under the eyes, including fragile blood vessels and poor circulation. Coffee grounds could be a promising solution to this due to their high antioxidant and caffeine contents; caffeine has anti-inflammatory properties and stimulates blood circulation around the eyes, which can reduce the appearance of dark circles and swelling. The antioxidants in coffee can also help fight skin ageing. 

Just add water or coconut oil to your coffee grounds to form a paste. Apply this mixture under your eyes and let sit for 10 minutes before rinsing. 

3.

Get Rid of Insects and Pests

Coffee contains certain compounds like caffeine and diterpenes, which can be toxic to insects. Use your coffee grounds to deter mosquitoes, ants, fruit flies and beetles, among other pests, either by setting out bowls of grounds or sprinkling them around outdoor seating areas or by scattering them around your plants. 

4.

Get Rid of Odours

Coffee grounds contain nitrogen, which helps to get rid of bad odours around the house. You can use them in various places around the house; for example, you can place a bowl of coffee grounds in your fridge or freezer to neutralise odours from rotten or fragrant foods, you can put them in old socks or pantyhose and place these bags in your shoes, bedroom drawers or under your car seat and you can even use them on your hands after chopping garlic and onion to remove the smell.

5.

Body Exfoliant

Use coffee grounds to gently exfoliate your skin, removing dirt and dead skin cells. The caffeine in the grounds has antioxidants which can help protect the skin from sun damage and it can also help to increase blood flow. All you need to do is mix coffee grounds with a little bit of water or coconut oil. 

6.

Remove Product Buildup From Your Hair

Forget those expensive detoxing hair treatments that can often leave your hair feeling stripped and straw-like – instead, use the contents of your morning coffee for squeaky-clean hair! Exfoliating your scalp with coffee grounds can help remove buildup and dead skin cells. Even better, caffeine could stimulate hair growth.

Just use a handful of coffee grounds and massage into your scalp and hair for a couple of minutes, then wash as you normally would. Use this one to two times per week. 

7.

Clean Your Pots and Pans

The coarse texture of coffee grounds makes them great to scrub those kitchen utensils that are difficult to clean, like pots and pans. Sprinkle the coffee grounds directly on your pots and pans and scrub as usual. Just make sure to rinse them properly afterwards.

8.

Make a Flea Bath For Your Pet

There are flea-removal products on the market, but many of them contain harsh chemicals. For a more natural solution, you could use coffee grounds as fleas seem to be deterred by them. Just rub the grounds through your pet’s fur after shampooing, rinse and allow them to dry as usual.

Please only use the coffee grounds externally and know that if this treatment doesn’t work for your pet, you may need to chat to a vet to discuss stronger options.

These are just some of the things that you can do with your used coffee grounds; there are in fact many other uses. Being creative with our “rubbish” is essential in fighting the waste crisis the world is currently going through. With a bit of research, we’d find that much of what we use around our house doesn’t have to be thrown away once we’re finished with them – we can simply use them for other things! 

See also: The Truth About… Honey