Richmond Hill
August 16, 2008 09:56 PM
By: Keely Grasser
Tony Mammone gets a kick that his invention, a biodegradable garbage bin, now shares a design award with creations by some of the world’s most prominent companies.
Mr. Mammone’s creation, U-Box-It, a one-cubic-metre cardboard mini-dumpster that can hold up to 1,000 pounds, was awarded a bronze medal in the design strategy category of the 2008 International Design Excellence Awards.
“We won the same award as Research in Motion and that was kind of funny. They must have spent millions of dollars building that BlackBerry and a cardboard box won the same award as them,” said Mr. Mammone, a Richmond Hill resident.
The BlackBerry won in a different category, but Mr. Mammone’s creation placed in the same grouping as the highly publicized One Laptop Per Child XO laptop.
The awards, presented by the Industrial Designers Society of America and BusinessWeek magazine, celebrate excellence in products, eco-design, interaction design, packaging, strategy, research and concepts internationally. U-Box-It was only one of two Canadian companies that placed in the competition, which drew over 1,500 entries.
U-Box-It, based in Concord, was established in 2005, but Mr. Mammone already had plenty of experience in the waste business through his family’s company, Mammone Disposal Systems.
Experiences there led him to invent the U-Box-It bin.
“Because we run a transfer station in Vaughan, I’m able to track how the industry progresses,” he said, adding he noted a trend in garbage haulage: more pickups and cube vans were being used in place of big trucks.
“I figured I had to find a way to compete,” he said.
The minute the concept struck him, he began to build different prototypes.
“We tried plastic, but plastic is not environmentally friendly. Cardboard is the most economical. It’s environmentally friendly; it’s biodegradable,” he said.
The bins can fold flat, are easy to assemble and perfect for someone who doesn’t need a full-size metal dumpster, which can sometimes damage driveways, Mr. Mammone said.
The bins are great for spring cleaning and renovation projects and can easily fit into tight areas, such as garages or elevators, he added.
To get rid of the debris, just call U-Box-It and they’ll pick it up.
The bins cost $49.99. They’re available by calling 1-877-7U-BOX-IT or at a few local hardware shops. When the bin is full, call U-Box-It and they’ll retrieve the box for $129.99. It’s $99.99 for subsequent bins.
Right now, U-Box-It will pick up bins in the GTA, Mr. Mammone said.
U-Box-It, which he co-founded with his brother, Dan, has plans to set up franchises across North America and Mr. Mammone hopes to have the first established within a year.
As part of the award, U-Box-It was featured in BusinessWeek magazine and the company can advertise the award on product packaging.
Awards will be presented in September in Phoenix, Ariz.