Sydney's Cafés Tackle Coffee Waste with 'Giving a Puck'

Sydney’s café community is adopting an innovative approach to reduce coffee waste, with outlets across the city joining the Giving a Puck initiative to redirect spent coffee grounds into community reuse.

 

Cafés and hospitality venues across Sydney are taking action on coffee waste through participation in Giving a Puck. 

 

Giving a Puck is an environmental sustainability programme that diverts spent coffee grounds from landfill and redirects them back into the community.

 

A Sydney specialty coffee roaster, Single O, leads the initiative in partnership with Reground, a social enterprise focused on food-waste diversion.

 

Together, they provide cafés with an alternative waste pathway that integrates into existing operations.

 

Australia generates significant volumes of spent coffee grounds each year. When sent to a landfill, this organic material contributes to environmental impacts. 

 

Industry-led initiatives such as Giving a Puck aim to address this issue by collecting grounds and redistributing them for community and agricultural use.

 

An Overlooked Waste Stream

 

Speaking publicly about the programme, Mike Brabant, CEO of Single O, has highlighted the scale of the issue within the coffee industry.

 

According to Brabant, spent grounds are the coffee industry's hidden waste problem. Often, people think about the impact of single-use cups, but not about the spent coffee puck from a morning latte that ends up in the landfill.

 

The programme seeks to shift attention toward this less visible waste stream by offering cafés a practical way to manage coffee grounds more responsibly.

 

How the programme works

 

The Giving a Puck initiative fits seamlessly into café and hospitality operations.

 

•           Participating cafés and restaurants collect their spent coffee grounds on site.

 

•           Single O and Reground coordinate regular collections, with pricing comparable to standard waste services.

 

•           Reground processes and redistributes the collected grounds free of charge to community gardens, farms, and home growers, supporting soil health and plant growth.

 

This model allows cafés to reduce waste while supporting environmental initiatives and community-based growing projects.

 

More information about the programme and participation details is available via Single O's website:

🔗 https://singleo.com.au/pages/giving-a-puck

 

Sydney Cafés Participating

 

Since launching in Sydney, Giving a Puck has attracted participation from a range of independent cafés and hospitality venues.

 

Media coverage has reported involvement from Sydney cafés including Happyfield, Soulmate Coffee, Superfreak, The Bakery on Glenayr, Three Blue Ducks and Bills.

 

Industry reporting has highlighted the programme's potential to divert substantial volumes of coffee grounds from landfill over time.

 

It reflects broader interest in waste-reduction initiatives across the café and hospitality sector.

 

Why it Matters for Small and Women-Led Businesses

 

Many cafés across Sydney operate as small businesses. For women-led businesses, initiatives like Giving a Puck often align with values around responsible operations, community connection and long-term sustainability.

 

Participation in waste-reduction programmes can help cafés demonstrate environmental responsibility in ways that are visible and measurable. 

 

The Giving a Puck programme is a way for them to respond to growing customer awareness of sustainability in the hospitality industry.

 

A Scalable Model for Community Reuse

 

The Giving a Puck programme illustrates how small businesses can take action on sustainability without complex systems or significant operational changes. 

 

By reducing landfill and supporting growers, the initiative contributes to local reuse efforts that benefit both communities and the environment.

 

Further information about Reground's Sydney operations is available at:

🔗 https://reground.com.au/reground-sydney/

 

Sydney's café community is encouraged to participate in this transformative program.

 

By joining Giving a Puck, businesses can significantly reduce their environmental footprint and contribute to a more sustainable future.

 

For more information on how to get involved, visit Single O's official website. Let's make every cup count.

 

Editor's Note — Inner West Sydney

 

Many cafés and hospitality venues operating across Inner West Sydney are small, locally owned businesses.

 

While Giving a Puck operates across Sydney, initiatives like this may be of interest to Inner West operators seeking practical ways to reduce waste while continuing to support their local communities.

 

Publisher's Disclaimer

 

This article is provided for general information purposes only. Inclusion of specific programmes, organisations or businesses does not constitute an endorsement. 

 

Readers should refer to official programme providers for the most current information and participation details.