Cortec® Corporation has initiated a new recycling program at its Minnesota headquarters that involves the use of Cortec Eco Film® compostable bags.
Cortec® Corporation has initiated a new organics recycling program at its global headquarters near Saint Paul, Minnesota. The program involves collecting food and paper waste that is usually thrown into the facility's trash and turning it into compost instead.
Cortec® launched this program after receiving a grant from Ramsey County to help with the 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.
Corey Cremers, Senior Environmental Specialist at Cortec® Corporation, who has led this and many other environmental initiatives at Cortec®, commented: “Participating in the organic 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.”
As a chemical manufacturing company, Cortec® has launched many "green" initiatives over the years, such as the research and development of many commercially compostable films and a wide range of USDA certified biobased products for rust prevention. While Cortec® is celebrating its new organic product recycling program, the company continues to seek further ways to reduce its environmental impact and that of product end users, with a particular focus on "green" chemistry initiatives that promote a "circular" economy.
Eco Film® Compostable Bags
The program will give the company the opportunity to use Eco Film® commercially compostable bags manufactured at Cortec’s own film extrusion plant in Cambridge, Minnesota. The organic waste will be collected in Eco Film® Bags lining bins throughout the facility, then sent to an industrial composting site in Rosemount, Minnesota, to be converted into soil amendments for local communities.
Eco Film® bags are certified compostable according to BPI certificate n. 890974 for disposal in a commercial composting facility and are therefore perfect for use as liners in Cortec's organic 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, so it gives Cortec® special satisfaction to finally be able to use this commercially compostable film in its own organics recycling program at Cortec® headquarters.