Researchers dumped tons of coffee waste into a forest. This is what it looks like now. -...

Ask a southern woman. Used grounds go in the garden.

This is nothing new. Composting and/or mulching for as effective soil remediation has been known for millennia.

Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen
In just two years, the area treated with coffee pulp had an 80% canopy cover, compared to just 20% of the control area. So, the coffee-pulp-treated area grew four times more rapidly. Like a jolt of caffeine, it reinvigorated biological activity in the area.