Celebration Key turns ship coffee grounds into fertilizer in Grand Bahama

Carnival Corporation and Celebration Key launched a community sustainability program in Grand Bahama that repurposes used coffee grounds from Mardi Gras into compost and fertilizer. The effort supports landscaping, school learning and local partners while creating a circular waste solution for the island.

Why it matters: - The program turns a steady waste stream into a local resource for soil health and landscaping. - Nearly 2,800 pounds of spent coffee grounds are collected each week, giving the project meaningful scale. - The initiative links environmental cleanup with education and community agriculture in Grand Bahama. - The effort is designed to strengthen native plant life and improve water retention in local soil.

What happened: - Carnival Corporation and Celebration Key launched the Community Coffee Grounds Initiative in Grand Bahama. - Used coffee grounds from Carnival Cruise Line’s Mardi Gras are collected, transported ashore and reused as natural compost and fertilizer. - The program supports Celebration Key’s landscaping and broader community sustainability goals. - Celebration Key formally introduced the initiative at a recent event at Millennium House in downtown Freeport. - Leaders from government, education, agriculture and environmental organizations attended the launch.

The details: - ATO Landscaping, based in Grand Bahama, helped develop the program. - The coffee grounds are used to enrich soil with nutrients and improve water retention. - The program is intended to support the long-term health of native palms and other plant life across Celebration Key. - Students from participating eco-schools in Grand Bahama are involved in the effort. - The schools participating include Lucayan International School, Bishop Michael Eldon School, Jack Hayward Senior High School, Mary Star of the Sea School and The Beacon School. - Community partners also include Island Manna Farms, Waterkeepers Bahamas, Berkshire Bahamas Farms, Green Shed and Grand Bahama Backyard Farmers. - The initiative is designed as an ongoing program rather than a one-time project. - Future expansion will extend coffee ground distribution to more local partners, including eco-schools and farmers’ markets.

Between the lines: - The project reflects a circular economy approach, where one operation’s waste becomes another part of the local system. - The school partnerships suggest the program is as much about workforce and environmental education as it is about compost. - Celebration Key is using its cruise traffic to support local sustainability efforts beyond the resort footprint. - Garelle Hudson, Celebration Key’s health, environment, safety and sustainability manager, said the initiative shows how sustainability can appear in everyday operations and create value for the Grand Bahamian community. - Hudson also said the program gives students a hands-on way to learn composting, agriculture and circular resource use.

What's next: - Celebration Key plans to grow the program by adding more local partners. - Eco-schools and farmers’ markets are among the next distribution points for the coffee grounds. - The initiative is set up to keep collecting and reusing grounds on an ongoing basis.

The bottom line: - Grand Bahama is getting a practical sustainability program that cuts waste, supports soil health and gives students a hands-on lesson in circular living.