I was picking up grounds from my local starbucks too - they recently stopped because they said they didn't have room for the 2 milk crates I left, with my phone number attached, for them to put a trash bag with grounds in...

When I'd go pick up they sometimes had forgotten and thrown out the grounds. So I asked them to call me when the crates were full, and I always picked up within a few hours of the call.

Shame :(

Happily the coffee house up the street is probably going to save their grounds for me now :)

I know this must be a trend because they don't want to do extra unpaid work. I would gladly bring containers as well. It other parts of the people can still get the coffee grounds. It's a disaster, because if I don't have enough coffee, ants move into the compost. I have to keep it hot with the coffee to keep out unwanted pests.

Why don't you try someplace other than Starbucks? Either another chain or a "Mom and Pop" store? Maybe offer them a sign stating that they support "green recycling, unlike Starbucks" so they get some good advertising?

Carla in Sac

I agree with Carla. Let it be known Starbucks doesn't want to be green. There must be a local tv reporter or newspaper that would take this on.

I was so surprised to read this - we have been getting grounds from a number of Starbucks around here (Sacramento), and they always seem relieved that we take them. We always take the whole trash bag they have them in, so I think they are glad they don't have to put them in the little bags. My husband came home with a bag the other night that he could barely carry - I had to help him get it to the backyard. I hope the trend doesn't spread here.

I agree with trying the local places - I would think, if nothing else, they would be happy to have a smaller dumpster bill.

Complain to Starbucks corporate. I did when our local Starbucks were saving and giving all the grounds to a local commercial compost maker. I said it wasn't fair. It must have worked because the next time I went in they gave me all they had, and I'm again seeing the big sliver bags in a bin by the door for anyone to take in the various Starbucks around town.

I am going to do that, but I filled out a complaint card once years ago and never heard anything back. How to do I complain to the proper authorities? Someone said there are one's in downtown San Francisco, but the problem is there is no parking in those areas. I can try to look for parking, but it would be better to have a place with a real parking lot so I can carry the bags to the car. That's why I like going to the south city area. I also am considering finding a large supply of very cheap coffee in bulk to buy, but so far, I can't find a low enough price with a large enough volume. I am already buy bagged composts to use as mulch, because I can't make enough this year. So, I am not opposed to spending money on my compost.
Local place are good. I tried Pete's they said, no way. I tried the little independent coffee places inside grocery stores. They all said, no it's too messy, and time consuming for them. Can someone suggest a local place that will save grounds? There are many on Irving Street.

The person I would complain to the the city's recycling chief.
Ask him to contact Starbucks mgt and say this has been happening and it is well known that coffee grounds and the filters compost very well. If they don't want to be giving them away then they should put them in the bin for compost.

Penny

I don't think San Mateo county does properly composting. I am not sure how to contact them. Does anyone have the URL?
It's such a shame to throw them in landfill, even if I can't have them.

I dont know that I would blame them-people eat at these places and I myself,knowing what happens to wet,warm coffee grounds in 24 hours or less wouldnt be too good if I spotted grounds put aside as I ate. And I'm sure the federal or state food inspecters wouldn't hesitate to fine a store owner. Who in this economy needs that headache?
Think about it.

To Stanofh, I have covered your concern. Starbucks can call me to pick them up or they can refrigerate them. If they leave them lying about, they will be spoil. Please check my first post. I don't think they need to leave them in bags, but just save them on order for people who call ahead. If no one picks them up, then compost them or what ever they do to them. They can make a sign up sheet and have a date and time in which people come get them. There are many ways without leaving them just lying out in the store.

Bug_girl, Just by googling San Mateo County
you get:
http://www.co.sanmateo.ca.us/portal/site/SMC

and a recycle link is on their home page:
http://www.recycleworks.org/index.html

and here is the link for starbucks---easy to google also
http://www.starbucks.com/customer/contact.asp

From what Westelle said it's probably up to that stores management to comply.

I had already found all of those links. They look good, but they don't go anywhere that can help me. I can't find the composting program. I can't find the way to complain at Starbucks. I only found the Starbucks Idea forum, in which I posted a note about my problem, but I don't think they will bother to read it. There is no email to send a complaint, and I am not writing a letter which they won't read. They have removed the composting with coffee from the website, cause they don't want to do it, anymore. It's all big scam. Starbucks is not Green. When you click there you are funneled into another page, that does not help. They are sick of people complaining and feel that is not worth their time to even take a complaint. I would suggest people only use local independent coffee houses.

Like I said before, call the local media consumer reporter. They thrive on this stuff sometimes.
I send letters to ceo's all the time and identify the store, person etc and get answers 90% of the time.
Where there is a will...there is a way.

i just picked up about 50lbs worth of grounds from starbucks.

i got with 2 cat litter boxes with my name and number written on them...they call me when they are filled and i bring 2 more empty bins to replace them.

they are always really nice about it.

before i had my own bins it was a mess because i would call and they would say to come pick up that afternoon, i'd get there and they didn't have any grounds...this happened about 4 times.

you also may want to bring the page of the starbucks website where they advertise grounds for your garden and see why your local coffee house is not participating.

Here is a link that might be useful: Starbucks Grounds for your garden

The mold happens when they put the coffee into those foil bags and leave it out for too many days. This problem could be solved by only making the bags to order or storing them cold. The policy is they don't want people bothering them for grounds when it may interfere with the busy traffic of people buying coffee drinks. We don't pay for the grounds, so the grounds are moved to the low level of "unprofitable and therefore unimportant." This is what is wrong with the whole corporate model. The only way to change this would be for us to pay a small amount for the coffee grounds to upgrade them to a purchase.

Right now, I am looking into independent stores rather then have to hassle argue and it all bend out of shape. If I find a good local coffee place that will give grounds. I will post it back here.

The compost information sheet may be a good idea, but if they are really determined to never give them again such as the Westlake branch. I don't think showing the sheet will change their minds. The worse experience was at the Westlake branch. I went it there years ago, asked for coffee grounds. They said, they did not have any. I said, I would go to Walgreen's and come back so I did. When I came back, they said, we threw them out. I was so mad, I did fill out a complaint form and never heard back for corporate for such rude behavior.

I used to buy a lot of coffee and mugs from Starbucks. I used to buy the black apron coffees, but they started to change a few year back and all the coffee beans were old, so I don't actually buy from Starbucks anymore. In the Starbucks hey day, I used to get coffee drinks, but now I am trying to cut down on caffeine and stomach acid caused from coffee. I used to like the Buena Vista Coffee from Costa Rico and the Coffee with the Elephant on the label that was grown in a special acid soil, and they don't have those anymore not for at least three years. I might buy them again if they would bring those back and if the beans were fresh. Pikes Place is horrible coffee. Sorry to go off topic, I just wanted to explain why I hardly ever buy things at Starbucks anymore.

RE: Composting: I believe it is a state law that composting be done. Some counties have a more extensive program than others. Call your garbage co. and ask for the name of the person handling the city compost program. In Napa we have one for the city and one for the county and they work with the garbage co. on reducing waste in our land fills and composting material for reuse as mulch in your garden.

Penny

I am in San Francisco. I think the San Francisco ones do compost in the green bins, but I don't think that San Mateo has green bins for the businesses. I am not sure I will call San Mateo and ask them. They seem to put the trash in big dumpsters. There is no green dumpster. Even the restaurants in the complex throw things like old lettuce in with the trash. I saw them when I was trying to get the grounds from the dumpster and the security guard would not allow me to take them. It may not be their fault, but if they made an effort, they could save the grounds and donate them to the appropriate composting program. It would be nice, but it would take effort, so I don't expect them to change.

I never liked the silver bag system anyway. Too small and then you've got all these silver bags.
I used to ask the barrista to save me grounds starting at 9am on a Saturday and then I would pick up one big bag at noon. It would weigh 30 to 40 pounds. But I don't do that anymore.
I get leftover recyclables from the cafeteria at my workplace every day.
Anyone ever been in the produce section of a large market in the morning? They are usually filling a plastic garbage can with old produce. That would be nice to get, but there's probably some law against it.
I think you just gotta look around for compostables...you can find alternatives.

The Starbucks in my neighborhood doesn't automatically save the grounds. When I want some, I call early in the morning and talk to the manager, and ask him/her to make sure everyone knows to save grounds. Then I go there in the late afternoon, and can pick up a heavy plastic bag full. If there's any consistent problem I call their customer relations person at the state corporate headquarters, which fixes it for awhile.

This weekend I went to another Starbucks in a nearby town, asked them to save grounds, and returned to pick up a few hours later, when my business in that area was done.

The coffee shop up the street from my community garden will put grounds in small bags, set out for people to pick up. It does seem wasteful (of bags, and their time/energy) to do such small bags, but I pick up 2-3 at a time. Better than nothing!

hey bug girl! NO NO and NO. paying for spent coffee grounds is exactly what corporate starbucks wants. rethink your thoughts :)

Just a "feel good" BS press release from Starbucks. This doesnt happen unless you hang out all day and slip $20's to the expansion rings.

total fake news.