The company behind the idea is clean technology startup, bio-bean, whose idea sees the extracted oil blended with diesel to create a more environmentally friendly fuel type.
Bio-bean says that introducing the oil will provide a “cleaner, more sustainable energy solution for buses across London’s network by decreasing emissions.”
“It’s a great example of what can be done when we start to reimagine waste as an untapped resource,” said founder, Arthur Kay.
The firm has been working to collect waste coffee grounds from high street chains and factories as part of the initiative.
It has produced six thousand litres of coffee oil so far, enough, it says, to run one bus for a year.
High street coffee chain, Costa, which has been working with the tech firm since 2014, says that 3,034 tonnes of that supply has come from its own donations.
Costa managing director, Jason Cotta, said: “We know first-hand how much commuters love their morning coffee. By recycling our own waste grounds, we’re helping to contribute towards this great energy idea and positively optimise resource.”
According to bio-bean, the average Londoner drinks 2.3 cups of coffee a day which produces over 200,000 tonnes of waste a year. This, going by the company’s calculations, would be enough to power 33 buses for a year.
Bio-bean are partnering British-Dutch gas company Shell on funding the programme.