The MPCA worked in cooperation with the Minnesota Department of Revenue (DOR) to evaluate the Blue Bag Organics compostable bags and determined the bags were sufficiently durable for organics to be captured from curbside collection along with regular trash on the same truck and withstand the process for sorting the compostable bags from municipal solid waste (MSW) at the material recovery facility.
MPCA and DOR assessed that the materials collected using the Blue Bags qualified as source separated organics (SSO) and met Minnesota Statute 297H.06 that allows source separated recyclables and source separated compostable waste to be exempt from the solid waste management tax.
According to Heidi Kroening, Supervisor of MPCA's Solid Waste Management Unit, "This is based on our compliance evaluation which determined:
- The bags are sufficiently durable so that organics can be effectively captured.
- The process for sorting bags is effective. Disposal of source separated organics collected in Blue Bags is rarely necessary."
"We are very pleased about the MPCA's assessment of our co-collection program," says Jim Wollschlager, Organix Solutions' CEO. "This validates over 10 years of work on our program that is now in 28 communities. Not only are we reducing the amount of waste reaching a landfill we're also reducing the amount of greenhouse gas emissions by eliminating the need for additional trucks."
In 2014, Minnesota set a new recycling goal for the Twin Cities metro area to recycle and compost 75 percent of solid waste by 2030, up from a 49 percent recycling rate. Minnesota Statute 115A.03 subdivision 25a defines recyclables as materials separated from mixed MSW for the purpose of recycling or composting. It specifically includes source separated organics as a recyclable.
"Through our curbside SSO program communities can divert their organics from landfill to composting facilities," said Debra Darby, Organix Solution's program and marketing director. "The challenges are to design a program that is affordable, repeatable and convenient for the end user, and haulers are under pressure to provide organics collection. Our co-collection program addresses these issues through a subscription service designed for municipalities and haulers."
Organix Solutions manufactures its own 100% compostable liners branded as Blue Bag Organics® and Green Bag Organix certified by the Biodegradable Products Institute to meet the industry standard test methods of ASTM D 6400 for compostability at an industrial composting facility.
Organix Solutions provides cost-effective and sustainable collection and treatment solutions that recover organic waste, recycle it to highest-value uses and return it to our community value chain. Our patent pending Blue Bag Organics and Green Bag Organix program eliminates the need for private haulers or municipalities to add routes, trucks and containers to collect organics, saving enormous costs. The company also manufactures agricultural mulch films developed for soil biodegradable applications. At the end of the growing cycle, Organix A.G. Film can be plowed into the soil, eliminating a significant amount of agricultural plastic waste sent to landfill.
