A born-in-BC kitchen innovation that eliminates fruit flies using wood waste has gotten the attention of celebrity investors and major retailers.

Vancouver, BC, December 4th, 2020 -- On the December 3rd episode of CBC’s Dragons’ Den, investor Arlene Dickinson confirmed what a few visionary retailers already sensed; the makers of BinBreeze are going to do great things for both the Canadian green-tech landscape, and the environment. 

What is BinBreeze you may ask? 

BinBreeze is the first true solution for fruit fly and compost odour problems that is beneficial for both you and your community. The material’s unique formula uses wood waste and minerals to eliminate odours and fruit flies, while enriching the compost for municipalities. The product is available scented with Lavender, Unscented, or Holiday Spice (a blend of sweet orange, clove and cinnamon essential oils). 

BinBreeze is the brainchild of Canadian “green entrepreneurs” with degrees in business and chemistry who joined forces at The University of Victoria. Founder Taylor McCarten and Dr. Harmen Ziljstra, a professor of chemistry at the school, created the powder-like material to be sprinkled with your food waste in the compost bin. The material deodorizes and scents kitchen waste with essential oils, and dehydrates small insects, meaning that it kills and composts unwanted fruit flies without the use of chemical pesticides. 

The technology is being hailed as ‘Circular-Economy Innovation at its finest’ as it uses one waste stream to reduce the emissions of another. The base material for BinBreeze is chemical-free wood waste that the company sources from suppliers who would otherwise burn the material. Every year across Canada, millions of tonnes of wood waste are burnt for disposal, needlessly pouring carbon dioxide and other pollutants into the atmosphere. Essentially, by using BinBreeze, customers are actively sequestering carbon...but it gets better! 

Within the bin, BinBreeze facilitates aerobic decomposition and reduces the methane emissions produced by the waste prior to processing at the municipal facility. The product further assists municipal composting operations by enriching the soil, speeding turnover, and generally making composting habits more pleasant for the consumer. BinBreeze will also make it easier to fill a green bin or recycling bag to its maximum capacity, reducing the need for constant emptying and making it easier to compost the wettest and smelliest waste.

In 2020, Canadians are composting more than ever before, thanks to an increase in municipal green waste legislation and ambitious provincial and federal climate change targets to divert organic matter from landfills. BinBreeze will help ensure that trend continues, says BinBreeze’s CEO Taylor McCarten, whose entrepreneurial spirit and passion for the environment brought the team together. “We wanted to target the biggest barriers Canadians face when it comes to recycling their kitchen waste, it should be easy to look after the planet.”

McCarten, who is currently manufacturing BinBreeze in Calgary, hopes to be part of Canada and Alberta’s Green Recovery, and the company is expanding production from coast to coast with local job creation in mind. 

In the new year, the company is launching a commercial product that will help restaurants, hotels, and food-sector entities compost responsibly as well. 

First sold in 2019 at local Farmers’ markets, BinBreeze is now sold in major retailers like Safeway, Sobeys, and Canadian Tire, and plans to launch nationally in 2021. 

While the company is founder owned, the investment deal with Arlene Dickinson will complete the team’s seed funding round setting it up for a breakout year across Canada.