The disposal of tonnes of coffee grounds daily in HCM City is cause for environmental concern, but a local man has figured out a way to recycle and make eco-friendly products from them. Nguyễn Tấn Lộc, CEO of Lộc Nhân Coffee Recycle Co Ltd, tells Việt Nam News how he makes these useful products and what plans he has to spread the concept.

The CEO of Lộc Nhân Coffee Recycle Co Ltd, Nguyễn Tấn Lộc. His company makes unique gift items by recycling coffee grounds. — VNS Photo

Inner Sanctum: Please tell us more about Lộc Nhân Coffee Recycle Co Ltd's business model?

Currently we are working on making products by recycling coffee grounds.

The reason I decided to start up Lộc Nhân Coffee Recycle Co Ltd business is that it helps solve issues related to environmental waste and create more jobs.

Our first product line consists of decorative items made from coffee waste, showcasing how this material can be used in an innovative way.

The second line aims to replace household deodorizing chemicals with natural coffee-based alternatives like floor and toilet cleaners, insect repellents and air fresheners.

Inner Sanctum: How do you collect the coffee grounds?

HCM City has a large number of cafes that discharge a huge amount of coffee grounds into the environment, something that can be measured in tonnes.

Now I collect coffee grounds from reputed, branded places.

I usually do this because it affects the products’ quality, texture, hardness, smell, and colour.

The collection process is very selective because coffee shops mix many different types of beans together, making it hard to control the input.

I can't completely control which coffee beans the grounds come from, so I have to trust the cafe chains and their blending processes.

Not all coffee grounds can be used to make every type of product: Some are only suitable for certain products, which is something I have to spend a lot of time researching.

One cup of coffee has enough grounds for us to make two items.

Inner Sanctum: How do you make products from coffee grounds?

The process of creating a product from coffee grounds is simple, and anyone can do it at home.

You can go to any coffee shop to ask for leftover coffee grounds, dry and mix them with water and maida lakdi powder. You can use other types of powders instead too, as long as they help stick the grounds together.

Finally you just press them through a mould to create different shapes. I usually utilise household tools like mooncake moulds for this step.

The final products lack a vibrant colour, so I use decorative paint to add a touch of colour and uniqueness.

Decorative items made from coffee grounds by Lộc Nhân Coffee Recycle Co Ltd. Photo courtesy of Lộc Nhân Coffee Recycle Co Ltd

I publicly share all the ingredients, formulas, tools, and methods for making coffee ground-based products on social media and in workshops.

Inner Sanctum: What are the difficulties you face in this job?

The major challenges in the recycling industry are policies, technology, human resources, and finding customers.

Despite knowing about these difficulties, we decided to pursue this venture because higher the risk, greater the profit.

When we see challenges as opportunities, they go hand in hand. If it is difficult and few people are doing it, it is a chance for us to capture the market.

Another challenge comes from the fact that I did not have experience working in biotechnology or chemistry before. I was working in the banking industry.

To this day I have to do research and innovate all the products on my own, a process that is challenging.

Each coffee shop offers a unique coffee flavour, with different physical and mechanical properties of the beans.

This makes it challenging to develop a way to compress these coffee grounds into solid products, which took over a year of research and experimentation.

Inner Sanctum: What do you aim to achieve by recycling coffee waste?

Lộc Nhân's primary goal is to reduce coffee ground wastes in HCM City.

Besides, I want to help address unemployment, which is why I chose to partner with the city's women's union as this work is suitable for women to do at home.

Due to the high volume of daily coffee wastes, centralised production will be costly and require a large workforce.

Therefore, Lộc Nhân adopts a ‘sharing economy’ model that empowers women with extra work.

Lộc Nhân collaborates with the Women's Union at ward and district levels to provide work for anyone who can make the products from coffee grounds independently.

This does not stop just with the Women's Union; I also run workshops to share this craft at universities, schools and other places around the country.

Nguyễn Tấn Lộc (right) frequently organises workshops to teach others how to make decorative items from coffee grounds. Photo courtesy of Lộc Nhân Coffee Recycle Co Ltd

The ultimate goal is to raise awareness about recycling and emphasise that it is everyone's responsibility and not just that of organisations or the government. VNS