Researchers from the University of Hawai’i at Manoa did an experiment about how coffee pulp, a leftover of the coffee growing process, could help bring Costa Rica’s rainforests back to life. They tested two plots to see how the coffee waste would affect deforested land, covering one parcel of grass with about 20 inches of the pulp and leaving the other untouched. At each site, land had been exploited for years, either to grow coffee or raise cattle, and was eventually abandoned. After two years, the plot of land given a boost from coffee showed a dramatic improvement. Eighty percent of the plot was covered by young tree canopy.
Not only does it give coffee producers a sustainable way to dispose of their waste, but it also speeds up the timeline to bring back destroyed forests.
Resource: National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/forest-on-caffeine-how-coffee-helps-forests-grow-faster