FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is Green Genius?
Green Genius is a company that aims to produce the smartest green products on the planet. Our first product, Green Genius plastic trash bags are the same strength and price of regular trash bags.
But our bags are fully biodegradable, unlike regular plastic trash bags that take a thousand years to biodegrade if they ever biodegrade at all.
How did Green Genius get started?
Click here to read our story.
What products does Green Genius produce?
We currently produce 13 gallon tall kitchen bags and 30 gallon outdoor trash bags. We're looking to launch other products in the near future.
Where can I buy Green Genius products?
Click here for more information.
How much are Green Genius bags?
Our bags cost the same as national brand trash bags. We don't think you should have to pay more for a product that's better for the planet.
Why are Green Genius trash bags so strong?
Linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) plastic is a superior material for constructing trash bags on a strength to weight basis. Since our bags use the same LLDPE found in almost all trash bags, we are just as strong. The only difference in our bags is that they contain a special organic ingredient that allows them to be digested by microorganisms.
What is biodegradable?
This means that a product can be completely broken down by microorganisms, leaving only natural elements like water, bio-mass and bio-gas.
What makes your products biodegradable?
Click here for how our product works.
What do Green Genius trash bags decompose into?
Our bags will eventually break down into water, bio-mass (humus) and bio-gas (either carbon dioxide or methane).
Are your bags tested or certified to be biodegradable?
Yes. Click here for more information.
Does biodegradable mean that I can toss the bag on the ground and it will disappear?
First off, no one likes litter (and we're pretty sure it's illegal). Second, like any biodegradable product, it must be disposed of properly. Our bags biodegrade when disposed of through regular trash collection.
Are Green Genius Trash Bags Compostable?
Our current trash bags are not intended to be used in compost environments, and have not been certified under ASTM D6400 for compostability. Since well over 95% of all trash bags wind up in landfills, our tall kitchen and large trash bags have been designed explicitly for landfill environments and have proven their biodegradability using ASTM D5511. That said, very similar processes and microbes that allow our bags to biodegrade anaerobically (i.e., without oxygen) are at work in aerobic environments, and because of this we fully expect our bags to biodegrade in these environments as well.
Are your bags recyclable?
We hate to think that you can't find a good use for our trash bags, like picking up trash in your local park, but if you would rather recycle... our bags can be handled by all recycling centers that can handle LLDPE (type 4 plastic code) trash bags.
Is Green Genius involved with any environmental organizations?
As a new company, we are currently exploring involvement with a number of different environmental organizations. Our focus is on helping to clean litter, especially plastic, out of the environment. See our company page to learn more about our involvement. Also, if you would like to get involved, please sign up to become a Treehead.
Where are Green Genius products manufactured?
Green Genius products are manufactured in the USA at a facility outside of Dallas, Texas. This facility has received an Environmentally Preferred Rating accreditation, which certifies that it maintains environmentally sensitive production facilities.
Do your bags contain heavy metals or other dirty ingredients?
No. Based on certification from our suppliers, our materials do not contain any heavy metals, plasticizers, phthalates or organohalogen content. In particular, our water-based colorants comply with the CONEG Model Toxic Legislation in regard to metal and heavy metal content.
Does biodegradation occur in landfills?
There is a common misperception that biodegradation doesn't occur in landfills. Biodegradation occurs in all landfills, although the rate can differ depending on the type of landfill. Traditional landfills slow the natural biodegradation process down through a containment strategy – an attempt to preserve trash rather than let it biodegrade. Fortunately, there is a new generation of landfills, called bio-reactors, that actually accelerate biodegradation. The benefits of these new landfills are twofold: first, a significant decrease in required landfill space, and second, the production and capture of methane for energy usage (see more on this benefit, below).
What about the methane byproduct?
To start, methane is a natural byproduct of all anaerobic biodegradation, i.e., biodegradation without oxygen. The amount of methane doesn't change if it biodegrades over a year or over a thousand years. Our product dramatically accelerates the biodegradation process of trash bags.
Why is this a good thing? Methane happens to be a viable renewable energy source that can be captured and used to generate electricity or used as a fuel. Acceleration of biodegradation and the capture of that methane make it more economically viable.
In fact, there are currently 485 methane capture projects in the US that produce 12 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity. In addition, the EPA has proposed another 520 methane-capture projects that would generate another 9.5 billion megawatt-hours of electricity, or enough electricity to run 700,000 homes for an entire year!
How does Green Genius fit into the ideal of "zero waste to landfills"?
Green Genius fully supports the ideal of zero waste to landfills, however our mission is based on progress vs perfection, which means finding a solution for the trash that's going to landfills today. Landfills will stop growing only when one of two things happens: (1) we send zero trash to landfills (perfection) or (2) we make better use of the landfills we already have (progress). Since most people have little choice but to send their trash to a landfill, why send a regular plastic bag that will last forever when you can instead send a bag that will biodegrade?
