Some of London’s buses will run on waste coffee grounds from today.
Biofuel made by blending oil from coffee waste and diesel will now be added to the fuel supply for the capital’s public transport.
Bio-bean, a technology company that recycles ground coffee, said it has produced enough coffee oil to run one bus in the capital for a year.
Transport for London recently turned to using biofuels to reduce emissions from vehicles. Biofuels made using waste products are already used to power many of London’s buses.
But coffee-derived biofuel will be officially added to the capital’s public transport vehicles for the first time on Monday.
According to Bio-bean, Londoners create 200,000 tonnes of waste from coffee every year.
The firm processes a B20 biofuel from used grounds it collects from coffee shops and factories.
Some 6,000 litres of coffee oil have been produced so far, the company said.
“It’s a great example of what can be done when we start to reimagine waste as an untapped resource,” bio-bean founder Arthur Kay said.
It would take just over 2.55 million cups of coffee – blended with diesel – to run one of London’s buses for a year, Bio-bean estimates.
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