CHARLOTTE, N.C., Sept. 19, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Leaf Burrito® is an eco-friendly reusable bag – invented, designed, and manufactured in the U.S.A – that makes collecting and transporting all types of lawn and yard debris easy and efficient for private clients and green businesses alike. The product was invented and launched in 2016 in Charlotte, North Carolina, where it was well-received by residents, green industry businesses and Home-Owners Associations (HOAs) such as the Highland Creek (4400+ homes) and BRIGHTWALK neighborhoods. The 5-Foot Leaf Burrito® is authorized for curbside emptying by the City of Charlotte Solid Waste Department and received the SustainCharlotte.org – Sustainability 2017 Award in the Waste Reduction Category.
Leaf Burrito® bags help protect valuable landfill space by eliminating the need for plastic bags. As cities like Charleston, SC and others around the world slowly discontinue picking up plastic film bags, homeowners are left with only paper bag options which are cumbersome to use, make curbsides unattractive, and are ultimately still single-use items that carry a large carbon footprint to produce and distribute. The City of Charlotte’s current ordinance still allows untied clear plastic bags, but hundreds of thousands of thick MIL black trash bags are still being picked up each week which is adding even more volume to the landfills.
In a two-year test case done by North Carolina’s Mecklenburg County, 75,000 large 2-ply paper bags were given away for free to homeowners each year. Both years yielded a return rate of less than 10% which means that homeowners need a more user-friendly solution to create a higher adoption. Leaf Burrito has almost a 100% usage rate after their purchase, and some customers choose to buy an extra one for peak weed, clippings, hedges and leaf debris weeks.
In July, the company retracted from a proposed manufacturing plant in a Charlotte Opportunity Zone like Camp North End to Kentucky and expanded into two high-volume production facilities in the cities of Jamestown and Burkesville. The company is expected to create 100 jobs in Kentucky in various capacities by the end of 2020 and forecasts the creation of 1000+ new jobs within three years.
| Inventor and CEO, Marc Mataya, shares part of his vision: | ||||||||
| “One of my favorite things about the very simple design of the product is that it can create thousands of Kentucky jobs as its construction is comprised of only cutting, sewing and screen printing. There are no batteries, bulbs or beeps. And, our big 2021 goal is to use 100% local USA recycled plastic waste to create the components of our entire product. Not only does our product eliminate the need for single-use bags and tarps, but we will also convert our landfill-destined plastic waste into a functional and durable eco-friendly product.” | ||||||||
In addition, Leaf Burrito’s staff attended the Professional Grounds Management Society (PGMS) annual meeting in Tacoma, Washington. Many Grounds Management leading experts were present to discuss the latest techniques and tools in the field including sustainable solutions where the Leaf Burrito was very well received.
| Chief Communications Officer and Government & Legal Affairs, Lauri Eberhart, comments: | |||||||||
| “Attending PGMS was an exceptional face-to-face opportunity for us to hear first-hand about the industry’s needs and pain points. The more that we learned from these experts, the more that we discovered that the Leaf Burrito fulfills many of these business needs in a variety of ways that we never even considered. As a result, we’ve added many new clients including a national tree care company, multiple universities, a high-end resort hotel horticulture center, and botanical gardens. We are pleasantly surprised at the overwhelming demand for the product!” | |||||||||
VIDEO - How Leaf Burrito® Works
Marc Mataya, Lauri Eberhart, Danny Pagan, and Claire Dorey from Leaf Burrito® will be present at the GIE+EXPO trade show in Louisville, Kentucky show on October 16-18, 2019 at BOOTH #27083. Contact: sales@leafburrito.com, stop by the booth or pre-schedule a time to meet with the team.
About:
Leaf Burrito® is a reusable yard-debris removal tool made of customized industrial-grade mesh and heavy-duty YKK® zippers. Our product eliminates bags and tarps and preserves landfills. It has 10 strong handles for ergonomic loading and lifting onto trailers or trucks and comes in 5-foot and 7-foot zipped-length sizes. For big cleanups or as a trailer cover, multiple Leaf Burritos can be zipped together. Ideally, each of your trailers could be equipped with a 6-pack which store compactly. Leaf Burrito’s goals are to reduce single-use plastics, make the arduous task of bagging leaves, weeds, grass, hedge and garden clippings a simple and eco-friendly experience and to give back to communities by donating 5% of revenues to new greenway expansion projects.
For Media inquiries:
Claire Dorey
press@leafburrito.com
(347) 527-6269 EST
https://www.leafburrito.com
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ae3810fb-d6eb-49f2-b706-56fca31e301a