Coffee Grounds Dalek

[Cadalot]

OK I have been collecting coffee grounds form my local coffee shop. My sister is a customer and works opposite the shop and when I pick her up I have been getting a sack or two of grounds every couple of weeks.

Up to now I have been keeping ahead of usage, but my sister is about to be transferred to another area.I'm thinking of collecting more frequently to build stocks whilst I still have access.

So my question is, would it be OK to have a composting dalek just full of coffee grounds as a means of storage? Anyone out there tried it?

If not dried and stored damp coffee grounds soon develops a mould as it decomposes, so I'm guessing I'm going to have to still dry it out.

[Bigmallly]

I've not kept any for a length of time but wondering if something like wood shavings would help dry them out...........Maybe wrap them as newspaper parcels......sit them on top of an incinerator for a few minutes......just trying to think outside the box.

[Cadalot]

Thanks BM - At the moment I have been using metal trays in the greenhouse down the allotment and letting the sun do it. Last few days I have been using gravel trays in the back garden and popping out every half hour to move the coffee around.

I think I have the drying sorted is just the storage. perhaps rather than using a dalek where the moisture can rise from the ground, I should just invest in a plastic dustbin with lockable lid

[Bigmallly]

A dustbin sounds a good idea or maybe old compost bags. Just a thought, I wonder if adding Vermiculite would help take any moisture out of the grounds.

[vixylix]

You could add a sock / tights with rice or cat litter in to absorb excess moisture too

[Cadalot]

You could add a sock / tights with rice or cat litter in to absorb excess moisture too

Good idea.

I've just had a brainwave and later I will be playing with my soldering iron and plastic pop bottles, I will report back later

[Cadalot]

OK basically I thought about using some of the pop bottles that normally get turned into mini cloches, or slug traps, but how to fill the bottle up? You can use the top off a pop bottle to fill a milk bottle but you can really use one to fill another pop bottle because the necks are the same size.

Unless you get two lids and use a soldering iron to melt the two lids together whilst forming a hole in the lids and screw the pop bottle funnel to the pop bottle you are wanting to full up!!

[Bigmallly]

How does this tie in with coffee grounds Cad?

[Cadalot]

Free storage for coffee grounds and they can be used as soft bricks to hold down nets and other things on the allotment

[Baldy]

Genius.

(bugs me to say it )

Presume you've got to allow some air / moisture out?

[Cadalot]

The coffee is as dry as I can get it by using the sun and flowing air but I'm guessing perhaps stand the filled bottle in the greenhouse without the cap on for a while before putting the caps on.

I have just made another cap to cap but managed to make the internal hole a lot bigger.

It made filling the pop bottle really easy. if the flow stopped a shake and the odd tap and it was all gone and ready for the next scoop.

[Bigmallly]

You'll just have to watch the bottles don't condense up.