If the aromas of cappuccino titillate your nostrils at Père-Marquette Park in Rosemont, don’t look for a nearby roaster: the coffee – iced – is under your feet.
Since the start of winter, the borough’s blue-collar workers have been testing ground coffee as an anti-slip in order to replace the gravel on a road in the park. A limited pilot project, the time to study the effectiveness of the original idea.
“We want to see what the abrasive effect of coffee is. It is not coffee grounds: it is coffee that has not been used, ”explained Ariane Goyette, head of the Parks and Facilities Division in the Rosemont – La Petite-Patrie borough, in interview with Press.
The project was born after the local facilities of Keurig, manufacturer of coffee capsules, had offered their industrial waste to the City of Montreal. This is coffee that has not passed quality control because – for example – its grind or roast was not perfect.
PHOTO PHILIPPE BOIVIN, THE PRESS
Montreal spreads coffee to prevent people from slipping on the ice at Père-Marquette Park in the Rosemont – La Petite-Patrie borough in Montreal (pilot project).
“We have identified several opportunities for coffee residue, including the production of organic fertilizer, vegan leathers and ultimately the use of ground coffee to replace the abrasives required in winter on roads, sidewalks and trails – an initiative explored recently. in some European cities ”, explained by email Marie-Anne Champoux-Guimond, director of sustainable development of Keurig Dr Pepper Canada. Its Montreal plant is located in Saint-Michel.
Result: unlimited coffee at Père-Marquette Park. Blue collar workers have spread hundreds of pounds of coffee so far using machinery they normally use for gravel or sand.
Contrasting findings
As this is a pilot project, a single path in the park currently benefits from a caffeinated cover.
So far, the borough has noted that “it’s not as abrasive as sand or salt. On the ice, it was inconclusive. But when it’s like that [en neige], looks like it’s better, said Mme Goyette. We don’t mix things up. We want to see what happens, the coffee alone. ”
Before the first spraying, municipal services dived into scientific studies to determine what impact coffee could have on the ecosystem of urban parks. No obvious risk has been identified, said Ariane Goyette.
PHOTO PHILIPPE BOIVIN, THE PRESS
Ariane Goyette, Head of the Parks and Facilities Division at the Rosemont – La Petite-Patrie borough
“We are already using it [du café] to make compost, she said. For animals, there isn’t much scientific data. […] But the likelihood that a dog will eat enough [pour avoir des effets]… ”
As organic matter, coffee has the advantage of gradually degrading over time, unlike gravel which often has to be swept in the spring. As Keurig provides the material free of charge in the neighboring district, the borough also saves on supplies and transport.
In the garages of the arrondissement, rue des Carrières, the huge pocket of coffee has been emptying quickly since the start of winter. “We will have to go and find another one,” notes Mme Goyette. A small stove to get you through the cold season.