A little more than a year ago, Delaware North’s global headquarters associates in Buffalo, N.Y., began 
diverting used coffee grounds from the trash to their home gardens as a source of fertilizer.
However, the supply outgrew the demand.
Luckily, Delaware North’s director of environmental affairs and sustainability, Anne Marie McManus, had another community-minded solution in mind.
“It turned out that our office supply of used coffee grounds – 30 to 50 pounds per week! – far exceeded our associates’ home garden demand, so we needed another solution to prevent it from ending up in the landfill,” McManus said. “Working through my network of folks in the green industry yielded a connection to the urban farming movement right here in the city of Buffalo. The Pirate Farmers now pick up our coffee grounds and use it to make compost for their own and other urban farmers’ use. So, as usual, it’s about making the right connections. I’m looking forward to us making the same kind of community connections everywhere we’re located!
“And as they say, one man’s garbage…”
PHOTO CAPTION: Ann Marie McManus collects a bin of used coffee grounds to be picked up by local urban farmers.