That's kind of dissapointing! That's a really stupid thing for them to say too. What do they do with them now? They have to dispose of them somehow - why don't the workers trip over that?

I don't know exactly what their corporate policy on giving away the grounds is, but I definatly recall some kind of public statement where they were encouraging it. They definately claim to be making efforts to aid in reducing litter and improving the environment. There is a Tim Horton's customer service address you can write to and possibly get the info:

customer_service@timhortons.com

If they do have a corporate policy of giving out the grounds, then I'd make a formal complaint and get someone to contact the store. It sounds like the store owner or manager is just being lazy!

On the other hand, if the owner is doing it only because he is being forced to, he might not be very good about making sure that only the grounds go in your buckets. You might be better off finding a store that's happy to help reduce waste. Maybe you can find one close to work that'll be willing?

BP

That's too bad that you apparently spoke to someone who does not understand how to be a good customer service representative. I copied this page and signed my name to it and went in to a Tim's and asked to see the manager.
When I asked for the used coffee grounds...she looked at me like I was crazy..but said OK..as long as I made sure to pick up the pails on time next morning....which I do.

I asked at a new place last year that had just opened... and the woman told me to put it in writing and she would give ot to the owner...but I never got around to doing that.
Don't give up...just go to another TH and ask again.
Print off the following page and give it to the manager and if she says no..ask her the name of the owner and contact him or her.
Good luck... Jean

Here is a link that might be useful: Print this

The Tim Horton's I go to dumps their grounds in a pail under the coffe machines and when the pail is full, they carry it out and dump it in the big garbage bin in back.
When my pails are there, they fill them one by one and then leave them in the kitchen until I go to collect them the next morning.
It amazes me how much coffe they sell at this one little Tim's.
From late Thursday afternoon until 10:30 Friday morning they filled 6 regular sized pails with grounds. When I got them this morning, the regular pail was in use, so I don't know how long it took to fill my 6 pails.
I don't know how many pots of coffee that makes, or how much different coffees cost...but the amount of money that goes through this TH must be a huge amount!!!
Wish I could buy a Tim Horton franchise.
All that money and free grinds or is it coffee grounds (?) to boot :))

I found that most franchises won't do it but I did find a small, privately owned coffee shop that was glad to, as long as picked up the pail on time. They filled a big one twice a day, with coffee and filters. I pulled out the filters and put them into the compost bin.

I contacted the regional Tim Hortons office. They told me it was rules and regulations by the CFIA (canadian food Inspection agency) I then contacted the CfIA, they denied given any direction regarding old coffee grounds. So who do a person believe? I think as was mentioned in this post I just happened on someone who is a poor customer service representative. I'll just keep saving my old tea bags. I wonder if worms like a nice cup of tea.

I'm sorry about your bad experience with that particular Tim Horton's :(.
You could print off some copies of the link I posted and drop them off at different TH's with your name and address on them...asking the manager to contact you if they are willing to let you have some of their grounds.
Put your name and phone number on the sheet and give them to a clerk and ask them to pass it on to the manager.
This way, you may get lucky and you won't have to feel bad if they refuse.
It's hard enough to ask for them and being refused would be hard to take, I know. I would hate that if it happened to me !!
Both places I inquired about the grounds here in Nova Scotia were open to the idea...so maybe you just hit a bad one ???

Hi, What are the benefits of coffee grounds in your garden and can you use them in rose beds?

limersweet - I think you are being given the runaround!! Nobody wants to bother - what a pain :-(

summerf - coffee grounds can be applied to the soil around acid loving plants like Rhododendrons and Hydrangeas, or they can just be tossed in quantity (filter and all) into your compost bin for some fast compost.

I went and did a quick check - Starbucks has a policy of giving away coffee grounds to its customers on a first come first served basis:

Article

Official policy

Tim's may make better coffee, but it looks like Starbucks makes better sense! So if there's one near you, give them a try.

BP

Coffee grinds are good anywhere in your garden in small amounts...and roses love them. They improve your soil and the worms also love them. Happy worms make more worm castings = happy plants.

"Tim's may make better coffee, but it looks like Starbucks makes better sense! So if there's one near you, give them a try."

BP

Couldn't let that one go, BF. Perhaps you haven't actually had a Starbucks coffee. It is far, far superior to Tim Horton's, which uses plain Arabica coffee. In contrast, Starbucks uses superior gourmet coffee and pays a premium to the coffee farmers. That's why most Tim Horton's customers order a "double double" because if you put two creams and two sugars in a coffee, it disguises the taste. (Though I'm sure there are Tim Horton's coffeee drinkers who drink and enjoy their coffee black as well.)

You'll find that most Starbucks coffee drinkers prefer to dring their coffee black or with a little bit of milk so they can actually enjoy the rich coffee taste. And by all accounts, Starbucks employees are also paid better, treated better and generally seem happier than the average Tim Horton's employee. Yes, it's an American chain, but so is Tim Horton's since it was bought out by Wendy's a few years ago.

And a little off the topic, if you saw the CBC TV movie a few years ago, you also know that Tim Horton himself was an abusive alcoholic and a very nasty person.

Now back to our regularly scheduled garden discussion.

I hope my roses don't find out that I am giving them inferior coffee...they'll be mad at me :( LOL

I agree heartily with Bulbhead's post about Tims vs Starbucks. One other consideration, hopefully without sounding like a complete hippy, is that Starbucks offers "Fair Trade" coffee (although not exclusively) which THs does not.

I must confess that I haven't had a cup of coffee for almost 20 years, so I really don't know what Starbucks coffee tastes like :-) I just remember liking Tim's coffee way back when, and I know several people that prefer Tim's. I drink tea now, and I can say with complete confidence than I think neither of them serves good tea :-)

DH says he prefers Tim's for plain old filter coffee, because he finds that Starbuck's lets the pot sit too long. He says Starbucks does espresso and other fresh coffee drinks better. He's a coffee nut and he has several different sorts at home because only likes certain ones at certain times, so he knows his coffee preferences. He says starting with better coffee doesn't mean you get better coffee - it all depends on how they treat it. It probably varies quite a bit from Tim's to Tim's and from Starbucks to Starbucks.

I also applaud the 'Fair Trade' products, but they aren't necessarily better tasting - better for all kinds of other things, like local economies and often the environment, but not always better tasting :-)

I do like Starbuck's corporate policies better though - they seen to be willing to make an effort to recycle more, and be more involved in the 'Fair Trade' products. If I was a coffee drinker I think I might patronize Starbucks over Tims because of the policies, but I guess who has the better coffee would have to be decided on personal preference :-)

I have yet to hear of worms or roses complaining about either sort!

BP

I drink Country Style, Tims and Starbucks coffee, depending on where I am at the time. We have all three in town and drink several cups a day. For regular ordinary coffee, I prefer Tim's and I don't put sugar or sweetener in it. However, that said, I like that Starbucks has cinnamon and vanilla and chocolate in sprinklers at the counter so you can add what you like to it. Starbucks is by far, the most expensive. I like that Country Style has a "Dark Roast". Tim's does not and Starbucks is dark roasted enough without asking for it, and I get the mild. I don't like anything darker from Starbucks - its too bitter, but maybe that's because they let it sit too long.

LOL! I don't think your garden will know the difference but it sure will appreciate the grounds. They do make a big difference. The worms love them!! And the filters will add to the compost. Its just a lot of work to pick up the bucket every day or even more often than that.

Just a follow-up...

A few weeks ago I sent off an e-mail to Tom Hortons head office and asked them to explain to me and my fellow Canadian gardeners why we could not have access to the used grinds from their stores....especially since Starbucks gave their grinds to people for garden use.

Today I received this reply...

Thanks so much for your inquiry about coffee grinds. We are currently
exploring a number of environmental initiatives at Tim Hortons, including
the use of coffee grounds. We are testing composting at various Tim Hortons
across the country and look forward to implementing a chain wide program at
store level in the near future.

Tim Hortons

Limersweet...maybe you'll get your coffee grinds afterall :)

Thanks msjean, I'll be watching for this. I wonder why they have to test it first. As far as I am concerned it has already been tested by the many that use it. anyway we are making progress. Thanks for your help.

Errrr yeah but if they are testing composting and implementing a chain-wide program, maybe they won't be giving grounds away but rather selling composted grounds...

Well..they certainly can't have composters on the premises...and around here..the grinds are already picked up by a company that uses them to make compost for resale. People put put all their compostable items in their green carts and trucks haul them away to the composting facility.
I called them to see how much they charge for a load of compost and they will sell it for 3 bags for $10.00 or you can buy a 1/2 truck full for $30.00
They will deliver...but they charge $60.00 for delivery.
If I had a 1/2 ton truck..I would go and get some.

It will be interesting to see what Tim Hortons do...IF.. they do anything.
The fact that Starbucks give the grinds away free would make them look bad if they started charging for them...I think.

We don't have city-wide compost pickup yet - they're testing it on residences in a couple of areas, but for now that's it. Not that they'd get anything from me if they had it anyhow! But it would be great if the city had some sort of pickup for the restaurants and grocery stores. Imagine the *tons* of stuff that they must throw out in a city the size of Montreal!! It's wierd - we have trash pickup twice a week, and recycling pickup once a week. I'll bet if they changed one of the trash pickups to compost pickup, it'd be more than a 50% reduction in trash if people were good about the sorting (and I realize that that's the big problem).

We can get free compost from the city though - it's shredded leaves and christmas trees and all the city plant waste (supposedly). All you have to do is show up at the facility where they compost it, at designated times of the year,and fill your own bags and it's yours. It's rare for me to miss having a car, but when I see that it's free compost time, I really wish I had a way of getting a bunch home!

BP