The story of klode°

1. An idea arises

Over winter 2018, an idea was born: to create an organic waste bin for hassle-free sorting. A bin where you can forget about the hassle of sorting this waste, which sometimes shelters wildlife that we could really do without. The aim of our founders was to encourage people to sort more organic waste, which households often avoid.

Following a technical study, our engineers came up with the vacuum solution: a technology that offers particularly interesting conservation properties to achieve our goal. At the tip of the iceberg, an innovative idea emerges, hiding a huge technical challenge. How can a vacuum system be integrated into a small organic waste bin without the need for electrical power?

The very first Mint to be created combines high-quality materials, sophisticated design and complex mechanical structure. This idea allowed us to be nominated at the final of the Hes-so Innovation Award 2018.

While the jury was convinced by the innovative and technical aspects, the users were not. During the first tests, they compared it to a radio. duhh… The green waste bin is not recognised. At the same time, production cost estimates reached unimaginable sums… The concept had to be reconsidered, as it was not viable for our young start-up…

2. An emerging idea

September 2019. Our technology is working, we now need to define the shape of the bin. Our bin is therefore intended to be aesthetic, ergonomic, durable and functional, while meeting the various technical constraints (acidity of the waste, industrialisation process, resistance, etc.).

The mechanical vacuum system includes a piston. The piston is round. By creating a round waste bin, we changed the way things are done. A disruptive design concept in the field of green bins. The idea, which was greeted with a little surprise, divided our testers: a round bin is a great idea, but in the corner of the kitchen, it’s a problem! Ouch! Back to our offices, in order to define the final design, or almost, of what will become Mint.

3. Mint is born

From a round bin to a square bin, a stunning technical evolution with the integration of our vacuum system, in this new bin.

In November 2019, the first contributors to the project purchased Mint: a unique green waste bin with a vacuum system. Since then, Mint has evolved. The technology is still the same, as is the shape, with some subtle optimisations. Mint has the same shape as we know it today. It was only after several more iterations that Mint became the one our customers got in 2020. After the crowdfunding, the second biggest step came: industrialisation. To produce Mint, a multitude of technical criteria had to be defined, linked to production constraints, among others.

4. Mint becomes a brand of klode°

With its first 4,000 units, Mint has been improved to become the high-quality product it is today. Mint is a unique waste bin: it is the only one on the market with a vacuum system. It has won over 5,000 users to date. And you, are you seduced?