Organix Solutions receives full patent for co-collection program

Organix Solutions, an organics recovery and municipal solid waste (MSW) company based in Maple Grove, Minnesota, has announced it received a full patent for its organics co-collection program on June 6.  The utility patent US 9,669,431 B2 encompasses the compostable organic waste collection method and materials, establishing its patent portfolio that includes a proprietary product line of compostable bags, the Extreme Duty Green Bag Organix and Blue Bag Organix. The patent covers the method of collecting and processing of compostable organic waste material. 

Organix’s program is designed to allow a single waste collection vehicle to collect organic waste and municipal solid waste (MSW) in a single trip.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) evaluated the co-collection method as a separate waste stream and the independent third-party laboratory Aspen Research Corp. conducted its own research on the performance characteristics of the compostable bag as it traveled through the waste stream. Both confirmed that the compostable bags were strong enough to withstand compaction in a waste collection vehicle while preserving the organic waste for further processing. 

“The absence of a compostable bag that could withstand compaction forces in a solid waste truck spurred our efforts to develop our own compostable bags,” says Jim Wollschlager, Organix Solutions’ CEO. “In 2010 we introduced our co-collection program in Minnesota with our own Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) certified bags which have been absolutely integral to the overall success of our organic waste collection and composting program.”

In 2014 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported 258 million tons of MSW were generated in the U.S. About 37 million tons of that waste stream was organics (food waste) sent to landfill for permanent disposal.

Organix's co-collection program was featured in Waste Today's January/February issue. Learn more about the program at www.WasteTodayMagazine.com/article/peeling-back-the-layers.