Cumbersome paper lawn bags just weren’t cutting it for Paul Kolada, so he charged several employees at Priority Designs, his Gahanna-based industrial design firm, with developing an environmentally-friendly alternative. Eighteen months later, his vision for a compostable bag was realized and a new business was born.
Unlike traditional lawn bags, which often get soggy thanks to rain or rotting contents, dsolv mesh lawn bags are made from a plant-based resin that only decomposes in the presence of microbes. (Under ideal composting conditions, dsolv bags break down in about six months.)
Plus, dsolv bags are bigger than their paper counterparts (40 gallons vs. 30 gallons), rip-resistant (Kolada claims they can even be dragged down a driveway to the curb), and easier to fill (dsolv Starter Kits come with a spring-loaded funnel).
Kolada was hoping to help homeowners with the bags, but he says compost facilities also have benefited as their innovative design prevents fermentation −and the “smelly mess” that comes with it− and allows workers to spot non-compostable contaminants that can taint their products and damage equipment.
In the fall, dsolv starter kits and refill bags were sold at about 70 locations in Central Ohio and 12 other states, and Kolada expects those same lawn and garden centers and hardware stores to carry them again this spring. dsolv products also can be purchased online through the dsolv website.
In addition to making a profit for PD Worx, the Priority Designs spinoff that markets and manufactures dsolv products, dsolv sales also are helping green locales throughout the country.
Kolada, a Bexley resident and longtime advocate for construction of Woodland Meadows Park, says a portion of all profits go toward the development and maintenance of parklands in communities where dsolv products are sold.
To learn more about dsolv, visit dsolvbag.com.