“Single O” and Reground Launch NSW’s First Dedicated Coffee Upcycling Program at 3 Blue Ducks
-Celebrity Chefs Endorse Sustainable Grounds at Three Blue Ducks
SYDNEY – October 29, 2025
The Sydney coffee scene just took a massive step toward sustainability. Yesterday, Single O officially launched the “Giving a Puck” initiative in partnership with social enterprise Reground, creating NSW’s first dedicated coffee waste diversion project. The program aims to revolutionize how cafes handle the millions of kilograms of spent grounds, or ‘pucks,’ that currently end up in landfill.
The launch was heralded by two major events, demonstrating both industry commitment and public enthusiasm.
The project received a significant, high-profile endorsement on Tuesday, October 28, at a special launch lunch hosted by the pioneering sustainable restaurant, Three Blue Ducks. Several prominent Sydney celebrity chefs attended, gathering to publicly throw their support behind the coffee recycling project. Their presence signaled that sustainability in the hospitality sector extends beyond the plate—it now includes the coffee cup, and the puck inside the machine.
“The buy-in from our peers is crucial,” said a spokesperson for Single O. “The industry knows we need to do better, and seeing major names and venues like Three Blue Ducks commit sends a powerful message that this is the future of coffee service in NSW.”
The Hidden Waste Problem and the Public Call to Action
The momentum continued on Wednesday, October 29, as Single O invited Sydneysiders to celebrate the launch. Coffee lovers who brought their reusable cups to Single O Surry Hills received a free takeaway coffee and a special ‘Giving a Puck’ kit: a reusable cup filled with coffee compost-enriched soil and a planted coffee tree seed to grow at home.
The initiative targets what Single O CEO, Mike Brabant, calls the industry’s “hidden waste problem.”
“Spent grounds are the coffee industry’s hidden waste problem. We so often think about the impact of single-use cups, but not the spent coffee puck from our morning latte that goes to landfill,” says Brabant. “We’re fired up to be changing that—this project gives everyday coffee drinkers a simple way to get involved and help create a more sustainable future for coffee—it’s as simple as supporting your local cafe that Gives a Puck.”
The scale of the problem—and the solution—is significant. In the first five years alone, Single O and Reground expect to divert an estimated 3 million kilograms of coffee from landfill, an environmental win equivalent to saving 85,000,000 cups of coffee.
A number of leading Sydney establishments have already signed on to participate, ensuring the program has widespread reach from day one. These founding partners include Happyfield, Soulmate Coffee, Superfreak, The Bakery on Glenayr, Three Blue Ducks, and Bills.
The “Giving a Puck” project is now open for sign-ups, offering cafes and restaurants a simple, easy-to-access collection service that transforms their waste from a liability into a valuable resource for urban farms and composting projects.
