A new trial is underway to recycle coffee grounds and turn them into fertiliser - with the help of worms.

Veolia, working with worm castings producer Wormganix, is conducting a trial with the Starbucks store in Centenary Square, Bradford, which sees Veolia facilitate the collection of used coffee grounds for subjection to the 'Wormganix method.'

The Wormganix method feeds worms a mixture of paper pulp and used coffee grounds, which the worms digest to produce a 'nutrient-rich' fertiliser, such as humus or vermicompost.

These fertilisers contain microbes, fungi, and bacteria that improve soil health.

The Wormganix facility is based in Cleckheaton.

Veolia, working with Wormganix, has already recycled three tonnes of used coffee grounds - the equivalent of 420,000 single-shot coffees.

Used coffee grounds are, according to Veolia's press office, naturally rich in nutrients such as nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus.

Kevin Payne, regional operations manager in the North at Soul Coffee House Limited (the Starbucks licensee for the Centenary Square store), said: "We're thrilled to see the positive impact this will have in Bradford, supporting local business and the community.

"The new pilot with Wormganix is still in an early stage, but we are excited and proud that the Centenary Square Bradford store represents another important step for Starbucks UK in our work to tackle food waste."

Veolia’s managing director for commercial, Adam Wylie, said: "We are always looking for innovative solutions to help our customers with their sustainability goals and this project utilises new methods to tackle a challenging waste stream.

"We are looking forward to seeing the results of the trial and the positive impact that it can have on the coffee industry."

The trial sits alongside Starbucks' other food waste initiatives to tackle coffee ground waste.

Those include the Grounds For Your Garden scheme, where stores across the UK donate bags of used coffee grounds to customers for use in their gardens.

Starbucks also supports businesses with innovative food waste ideas via The Eat It Up Fund, a partnership between Starbucks and environmental charity Hubbub.

The Veolia group employs 'nearly' 218,000 people and bills itself as designing and deploying 'useful and concrete' solutions for water, waste, and energy management.

According to a spokesperson, the group in 2023 was set to serve 113 million inhabitants with drinking water and 103 million with sanitation; to produce 42 terawatt hours of energy; and to recover 63 million tonnes of waste.

More information about Veolia is available at www.veolia.com.