In a repurposed pig yard on the outskirts of Hong Kong, Russell Kong carefully monitors clusters of golden oyster mushrooms sprouting from discarded coffee grounds and wood chips. After completing his postgraduate degree in sustainable agriculture in the UK, Kong founded Urban Mushroom, a local venture that transforms city waste into gourmet mushrooms.
"Our aim is to use local ways and resources to cultivate mushrooms so we can reduce pollution in Hong Kong, while also fulfilling my dream in agriculture at the same time," Kong told Earth.Org in a phone call.
Initially, Kong collected used grounds from coffee shops like Starbucks and Pacific Coffee. As demand grew, he partnered with social enterprise Eco-Greenergy, which now supplies most of his brewing waste.
"Coffee grounds are one of the substrates that are easiest to handle. At the same time, Hong Kong people drink a lot of coffee, so that makes things even simpler," he said. According to Friends of the Earth, Hong Kong generates nearly 12 tonnes of coffee grounds daily, with some businesses producing around 100 kilograms in a single week – most of which end up in landfills.
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