One eco-friendly Redditor said they got help from an unexpected source: their local Starbucks.
The Redditor shared their story on r/ZeroWaste, a community dedicated to minimizing users' environmental impact.
The Environmental Protection Agency reports that the zero waste philosophy means not only reusing and recycling whenever possible, but also considering the whole life cycle of a product before ever buying it and choosing options that create the least waste and discarded packaging.
For example, someone dedicated to the lifestyle might use a metal safety razor instead of disposable plastic ones — and of course, they'd always choose a reusable water bottle.
This Redditor was delighted to discover they could do just that on a trip to Starbucks. "I just walked into Starbucks, and walked out with a drink in my own reusable container," they shared in the post. "I had previously considered buying one of their reusable cups, but was wavering."
The Redditor also thanked members of the r/ZeroWaste subreddit who let them know that bringing their own cup was an option.
Not only did the Redditor get to follow their personal philosophy and avoid creating unnecessary trash, but they also said they experienced "a double win" when they asked for some of the chain's used coffee grounds to go in their compost bin and got "a large bag."
Coffee grounds are an incredible natural fertilizer that can even deter certain pests from the garden.
The Redditor shared a picture of the bag they received alongside their full coffee cup. The sturdy bag was clearly made for the purpose and had a Starbucks label reading "Grounds For Your Garden."
"I love getting the grounds! Yay!" said one commenter.
The original poster replied, "I got a bag the other day, and was slightly surprised to spot a couple of leaves of wilted lettuce inside it. Not that I objected, but it was rather unexpected." Both users agreed that all the food waste was healthy for their gardens.
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