"Transformed Forest: Coffee Waste's Impact Revealed"
Researchers from ETH-Zurich and the University of Hawaii conducted a study in Costa Rica where they spread 30 dump trucks worth of coffee pulp over a degraded land area. Within two years, the coffee-pulp-treated area transformed into a small forest with 80% canopy cover, while the control area remained dominated by non-native grasses. The coffee pulp not only accelerated forest recovery but also eliminated an invasive grass species, allowing native species to recolonize the area. This study suggests that coffee waste can be a cost-effective and environmentally beneficial method for reforesting degraded land, supporting global reforestation objectives and potentially mitigating the effects of climate change.