Cortec puts own compostable bags to use in new organics recycling program

The program will collect the food and paper waste that is usually thrown into the facility’s garbage and turn it into compost instead. Plus, it offers the opportunity to make use of the Eco Film commercially compostable bags manufactured at Cortec’s own film extrusion plant in Cambridge, Minnesota.

Cortec launched its organics recycling this year after being awarded a grant from Ramsey County to help with initial setup. This involved installing a new dumpster mezzanine area, purchasing new composting bins, training employees, and paying for disposal hauling services and compostable products (e.g., cups, plates, utensils, etc.) for the first six months. The organic waste will be collected in Eco Film^® Bags lining bins throughout Cortec’s facility and then sent to an industrial composting site in Rosemount, Minnesota, to be converted into soil amendments for local communities.

Corey Cremers, Senior Environmental Specialist at Cortec Corporation, has spearheaded this and many other environmental initiatives at Cortec. He commented, “Participating in the organics recycling program is an important step in reducing our environmental impact here at Cortec. . . . Instead of sending waste materials to landfills we can migrate the waste to a beneficial resource like compost which can be used by the local community. It is cool to see all facets of employees from the office to the production floor participating in the program and adding value to our environmental management system.”

The Eco Bags produced by Cortec that will be used for waste collection are certified compostable under BPI certificate #890974 for disposal in a commercial composting facility and are therefore perfect for use as liners in Cortec’s organics collection bins. In the past, Cortec has sourced Eco Film Bags to help other organizations such as the Minnesota Zoo launch or explore their organics composting programs. It is particularly satisfying, said the company, to finally be able to use this commercially compostable film in its own organics recycling program at Cortec headquarters.

Cortec’s European plant EcoCortec, also implemented a European-wide initiative to collect and recycle used VCI films and bags which allows their customers to send their used film back to the plant. This was the first recycling recycling program of this type implemented in Europe. Within the “Plastic Recycling Project,” EcoCortec’s customers send their waste material back to the Croatian plant, where it is then completely recycled and used for manufacturing a new product.

https://www.biocortec.com