798
I. C. Ribeiro et al.
of paramount importance for the consolidation of an environment with exemplary
sustainable practices.
Brazil is the world’s largest coffee producer and the second largest consumer
(ABIC 2015). Coffee is a widely consumed beverage in many parts of the world,
whether in domestic environments, coffee shops or even in institutional environments. Data from the Brazilian Coffee Industry Association indicate that from
the year of 1990 until 2018 there was an increase in per capita consumption
(kg/inhabitant/year) of roasted coffee in the form of a beverage. The average Brazilian, who at the beginning of the 90s consumed 2.71 kg per year, in 2015 consumed
about 4.90 kg. The amount of generated waste is proportional to the amount of coffee
consumed; therefore this increase in the consumption of the beverage is one of the
contributors to the higher generation of its waste.
The evaluated campus has about 80 departments, of which eight are participating
since 2015 in the organic waste recovery project, with about 130 people involved.
The results show that about 55 kg/year of used coffee grounds were collected from
the participating departments and sent to compost. These values indicate an average
deviation of 1.28 kg of used coffee grounds over the three years per person from
landfills. If we consider the amount of waste collected, this deviation increases to
2.55 kg. This means that it not only is a sustainability action aimed at improving
the quality of the environment and the population in general, but also follows the
waste management recommendations proposed by Law of Solid Waste of the country
(Brasil 2010).
The popularization and diversification in the consumption of coffee beverage is
another factor that probably subsidizes an increase in the generation of used coffee
grounds. It should be noticed that this increase in consumption, which translates into
a greater generation of waste, is not accompanied by an increase in the concern for
adequate and sustainable disposal or use, such as biomethanization.
Another point that deserves to be highlighted is the increase of departments participating in the selective collection, what can be explained by the awareness actions
of the participants for the correctly performance of segregation and sustainable destination of the waste. It should be emphasized that the scope of these actions go beyond
the walls of the institution, since these activities reach other parts of the community,
either through awareness of the relatives and friends of the participants or through
lectures, workshops and other events promoted by the Labiotecs research group.
During a year 2016, a total of 58.45 kg of organic waste destined to the vermicomposting process was quantified. Studies on biodegradation of used coffee grounds
in commercial coffee shops and university campuses developed by Adi and Noor
(2009) demonstrated the importance of the study of the proper destination of this
waste.
In this context, another point worth mentioning is the fact that the institution’s
restaurant did not participate in the survey of departments that generated organic
waste throughout the study. This exclusion occurred because the actions were directed
to employees and students aiming a reformulation of sustainable concepts in their
workplaces. Thus, the work and study prioritized throughout the research the sources
of solid organic waste, generation, and collection.
I. C. Ribeiro et al.
of paramount importance for the consolidation of an environment with exemplary
sustainable practices.
Brazil is the world’s largest coffee producer and the second largest consumer
(ABIC 2015). Coffee is a widely consumed beverage in many parts of the world,
whether in domestic environments, coffee shops or even in institutional environments. Data from the Brazilian Coffee Industry Association indicate that from
the year of 1990 until 2018 there was an increase in per capita consumption
(kg/inhabitant/year) of roasted coffee in the form of a beverage. The average Brazilian, who at the beginning of the 90s consumed 2.71 kg per year, in 2015 consumed
about 4.90 kg. The amount of generated waste is proportional to the amount of coffee
consumed; therefore this increase in the consumption of the beverage is one of the
contributors to the higher generation of its waste.
The evaluated campus has about 80 departments, of which eight are participating
since 2015 in the organic waste recovery project, with about 130 people involved.
The results show that about 55 kg/year of used coffee grounds were collected from
the participating departments and sent to compost. These values indicate an average
deviation of 1.28 kg of used coffee grounds over the three years per person from
landfills. If we consider the amount of waste collected, this deviation increases to
2.55 kg. This means that it not only is a sustainability action aimed at improving
the quality of the environment and the population in general, but also follows the
waste management recommendations proposed by Law of Solid Waste of the country
(Brasil 2010).
The popularization and diversification in the consumption of coffee beverage is
another factor that probably subsidizes an increase in the generation of used coffee
grounds. It should be noticed that this increase in consumption, which translates into
a greater generation of waste, is not accompanied by an increase in the concern for
adequate and sustainable disposal or use, such as biomethanization.
Another point that deserves to be highlighted is the increase of departments participating in the selective collection, what can be explained by the awareness actions
of the participants for the correctly performance of segregation and sustainable destination of the waste. It should be emphasized that the scope of these actions go beyond
the walls of the institution, since these activities reach other parts of the community,
either through awareness of the relatives and friends of the participants or through
lectures, workshops and other events promoted by the Labiotecs research group.
During a year 2016, a total of 58.45 kg of organic waste destined to the vermicomposting process was quantified. Studies on biodegradation of used coffee grounds
in commercial coffee shops and university campuses developed by Adi and Noor
(2009) demonstrated the importance of the study of the proper destination of this
waste.
In this context, another point worth mentioning is the fact that the institution’s
restaurant did not participate in the survey of departments that generated organic
waste throughout the study. This exclusion occurred because the actions were directed
to employees and students aiming a reformulation of sustainable concepts in their
workplaces. Thus, the work and study prioritized throughout the research the sources
of solid organic waste, generation, and collection.