This is [not] a landfill...
This is our goal.
3 thoughful minds, sitting around a large wood table, thinking about changing the world.
the problem sitting in one’s left hand, holding the remnant
drops of Coca-cola.
transforming landfills into landscapes
The Problem Trash and landfills are no doubt one of the biggest problems facing the world today, since as our population continues to grow, so does our trash. A huge contribution to this problem is the packaging and cups used by the fast food industry. These packages are usually covered with a waxy coating, making them very resistant to degradation. Even companies taking small steps towards greener packaging still add to the problem. Just because a package is recyclable, does not mean it will be properly recycled.
Americans alone generate
32.3 million tons
of food packaging waste per year that ends up in landfills.
This is a landfill
This is our goal.
Who we are...
The Goodfill Project introduces innovative packaging solutions that effectively reshape landfills into beautiful and prosperous places.
Research There are many areas we needed to research in order to come up with a viable product. In the next few pages, we will give a general overview of the research and basic conclusions we came to through that research. The following chart is a representation of all the different areas we set out to research.
Current Applications
Pros / Cons
How to produce Supply
Pros / Cons
Supply
Current Applications
Potato Starch Rice Hulls
Types of Seeds
Seeds / Germination
Current Applications
Growth Process Anatomy
Seed Anatomy
Sustainable Materials
Prototype
Manufacturing
Landfill Composition
Current Papermaking
Rice Paper
Paper Manufacturing
Supplies / Building
Breakdown Process
Current Theories
Printing / Die Process
Anatomy
Sustainability
Marketing Green Inks
Bi products
In House / Out
History Layering
Dies / Machines Why is it needed?
Competitors Buyers
Vegetable base Soy Base Packagers
How it Helps Sustainable Packagers
Food Industry
Product Packaging
Reflection Upon Buyer Short term Long Term
ResearchMaterialsRice Hulls Rice hulls are the main ingredient in our packaging products. These valuable and abundant by-products of the rice making process have found many uses ranging from insulation, to fuel and filtration. Though there are many uses, current estimates by the USDA say that only 20% of America’s rice hulls are used today, and many more are unused around the world.
Why Rice Hulls? Their naturally waterproof surface is an easy replacement for the waxcoating on current cups and packaging. A natural fertilizer and aerator, they will loosen soil and provide nutrients to the seeds as they break down. Their tough lignin base will protect seeds until the biodegradation process begins. They are in huge surplus, cheap to buy, and do not use food resources such as corn, like some new package applications.
725,000 tons of rice hulls are produced each year in america alone,
only 20% of all these
resources
are utilized.
ResearchMaterialsPotato Starch After extensively researching other forms of green packaging technology, we found that potato starch would be an excellent inclusion to our product. Potato starch has been applied to make new age plastics and papers in the packaging industry. The only problem is that using this technology would be eating into a food resource. Since potatoes are easily grown in almost any climate, we can counteract this problem by growing potatoes in house.
Why Potato Starch? This substance, when mixed with rice hulls will cause the hulls to break down faster in a landfill. A phenomenal fertilizer, potato starch will provide an even richer environment for seeds to grow in. Potato starch and its natural binding abilities will help to provide a more rigid product for use in the market.
ResearchMaterialsThe Basic Idea Out to Food Processing
Rice Grain
Potato
Process Direction
Rice hulls and potato starch mixed with water and blended
Initial paper is made through rolling process
Paper in die embossed, seeds put in and 2nd sheet covers them.
Paper is printed in house and folded to application.
Product shipped to buyer.
ResearchLandfillsAnatomy Most people’s idea of a landfill is a simple hole dug in the ground and filled with trash. However, through our research, we found that landfills are very complex systems that take a lot of maintenance and planning. What our packaging hopes to eventually change is the entire system of landfills. We realize this will take some time and proven usefulness of our products, but here are a few ideas on how our products can help the situation. The chart on the right describes a landfill’s basic anatomy.
Our Theories Though landfills are tightly packed, our rice hulls can begin to break matter apart, allowing decomposition of our products to aerate and help in the breakdown of other materials. Including seeds or spores in the packaging that are predisposed towards rough and dark conditions will expedite the growing process. The aeration process will eventually allow air flow to enter the packed layers, letting plant growth sprout from the landfill itself.
ResearchLandfillsCurrent Theories Many countries and states are now looking to landfills for a significant source of energy. The methane gas which is released from the breakdown of materials is not only a valuable power source, but is also dangerous to the environment if allowed to escape into the atmosphere. Pictured here, a spokeswoman in North Carolina discusses a project run by NC GreenPower, a company at the front of methane collection in America.
Where we come in Because of the abilities of our rice hulls to increase air flows, our packaging would allow for increased methane collection. Likewise, our products ability to degrade quickly would allow other materials to degrade faster as well, producing more methane for collection.
If 80% of the methane
released from landfills was gathered it would provide
25% of urban energy
consumption.
ResearchManufacturingPaper & Printing Our main concern with paper-making was the required energy and water consumption for processing. Luckily because rice hulls and potato starch are much easier to pulp than traditional woods (pulping takes the most energy in the process), the energy needed during our paper making process is considerably lower. Likewise, we use no harmful agents or bleaches in our water, all dyes are organically based. As well, because potato starch has a natural binding ability, there are no needs for additives to strengthen out papers. As far as printing, there are many green inks available on the market, and what works best for us are vegetable based inks. Though soy inks are the popular green inks, they are only 10 - 20% soy oil on average, where as vegetable inks are 100% vegetable oil. We will also employ the use of UV coating technology, which emits no harmful toxins and dries under UV rays. This is a substitute for traditional aqueous coatings.
ResearchManufacturingCosts Many factors contribute to the cost of manufacturing, and the chart on the right is a simplified version. What this chart does not interpret is the initial start-up costs for the goodfill facility; these will reflect in our sales until a steady client base is established. With all factors considered however, even with these start up costs our research suggests that goodfill products will match or beat mainstream packaging prices.
The Materials Matter According to the Nebraska Forest Service, the average price in 2008 for a truckload of lumber was $750. The amount of paper produced in one truckload of timber (15-17 trunks) weighs one ton. We can make the same amount of paper by using 1.5 tons of Rice Hulls and a half ton of potato starch. The average price for a ton of rice hulls in 2008 was $40.00, making the total cost in hulls $60. The price for a ton of potato starch in 2008 was $214. Thus, a ton of paper would cost us ~$175.
Our materials cost less and are more affordable to ship than wood.
Though our papermaking takes less energy, our specialized die embossing would effectively equalize the costs.
The overall analysis is that our product will cost slightly less than current packaging. This gap between costs will increase as green inks are produced more and more.
Vegetable Inks and UV coating cost more initially, but as production increasesthey will decrease in price.
ResearchMarketingTarget Audience Our target audiences for these products are fast food and service industries. Currently our focus is on McDonalds because several sources claim the company is the biggest contributor to waste in the entire food industry. There are many reasons why clients would want to use our products. For one, company image will begin to improve dramatically, and as our company grows, we will both be rewarded as companies with a green reputation. Furthermore our products will go down in production price over time, while the prices of lumber and paper will only go up as their supplies continue to diminish.
1 McDonalds
restaurant produces 100 tons of waste every year in the U.K. alone.
Prototype This is the initial prototype design. Here the basic structure of our products can be seen, a two-ply sheet of paper with a seed layer in between them. There are a number of ways we can distribute die embossments and seeds throughout the product. For example, if we are doing a job for McDonalds we can create a design out of the embossments to add further visual interest to the cup itself. Also, the embossments are a preventative measure against slippage (they’re grippy).
Inner Layer
Die Embossed Cavities
Seeds
Outer Layer
Application This photo is an example of how our innovative product can be applied to a paper cup seen at a fast food entity or coffee shop. As you can see, we have the ability to customize our die pattern on individual packages to increase visual interest of the piece. Our products are not limited to cups; they can be applied to any type of packaging on the market; leaving the door wide open for numerous applications and clients.
Collateral This is the basic business collateral set for The Goodfill Project. The envelope and letterhead paper are made out of our rice paper, without the dies. We figure a letter won’t need to last forever, so it will degrade eventually. If there is an important document, such as contracts and legal documentation, we can use a longer lasting paper. The business card is also made out of our paper and features a tear off tab that can be buried and grown in a pot or anyone’s backyard.
Our Gift to You. 1) Tear this card along perforated edge 2) Plant it transforming landfills into landscapes
3) Water it 4) Watch the future of packaging grow
Mike Bohner Partner 720.290.3814 mbohner@goodfillproject.com
If one card grows a plant, imagine what our packaging does.
transforming landfills into landscapes
Mike Bohner Partner 720.290.3814 mbohner@goodfillproject.com
transforming landfills into landscapes
1432 East Odessey Drive Denver, CO 80216
transforming landfills into landscapes
Mike Bohner Partner 720.290.3814 mbohner@goodfillproject.com
There is so
much more that
The Goodfill Project has in store for our future, but for now, you’ll have to wait for the rest
to come.