Students turn coffee grounds into valuable resource for overseas refugees

Instead of throwing out the grounds leftover from morning pots of coffee, these University of Toronto students are turning them into a valuable resource for refugees overseas.

Women and children in refugee camps reportedly perform 90% of their cooking using firewood. Family members are often put in danger when leaving the camp to gather more firewood, and it can be a strenuous hours-long endeavor.

The Canadian engineering students are hoping to eliminate that risk by with the creation of Moto: a fake flammable log made of sugar, coffee grounds, and paraffin wax that can burn for up to 90 minutes.

The team currently collects coffee grounds from local Starbucks, Second Cup, and Tim Hortons outlets. As they continue to develop their prototype, the students plan on creating a simple recipe that can be replicated regardless of location or coffee shop availability.


more on goodnewsnetwork.org