The Ekokamu biowaste container is a new innovation that encourages household recycling. The product was developed to make the recycling of biowaste hygienic and effortless, and therefore motivate more people to recycle their household biowaste. Ekokamu has a modern Nordic design that makes it stand out as part of the household interior.
“I got tired of leaking biowaste bags and the bad smells. Especially when my children were young and I was staying home with them, there was a lot of household waste”, says Annukka Pakarinen, MSc (tech.), PhD, the inventor of Ekokamu.
The mother of four started to look for an innovative solution that would help make recycling biowaste easier and more hygienic - so that even those with larger families would be motivated to recycle. Ekokamu (translates to eco pal) was born.
Ekokamu makes recycling odourless and hygienic
Annukka Pakarinen used expertise gained in previous research and invented a biowaste container that uses an integrated air pump to create a vacuum. Removing nearly all the oxygen from the waste container prevents the activity of mould and other decomposer microbes that need oxygen. This slows down decomposition and decreases how often the container needs to be emptied.
Nearly no liquid at all is formed during the process – the biowaste stays fresh and odourless for days, even longer. Ekokamu is easy to empty and dishwasher-safe, making it a practical addition to any kitchen.
From an idea to kitchens around the World
The commercialisation of the Finnish innovation Ekokamu began in summer 2017 when Elina Voutilainen (MSc) joined the project as a founder and CEO of Ekokamu Oy (Ltd). The high-functioning container got a modern Nordic look from a team of professional designers.
“There are many great innovations in Finland, but a successful product needs more than a good idea behind it.” Elina Voutilainen says. Ekokamu has in-house expertise of various fields: product development, marketing and communications, and project management - all of which will help push the product from Finland to international markets.
The biowaste container is in prototype form and is currently being developed further. In September 2018, Ekokamu is carrying out a crowdfunding and awareness campaign on Indiegogo, known for giving a platform to new innovations.
“Ekokamu was invented to meet a real need. For real people in real kitchens, cooking real food. That is why I personally believe this product should find its way into as many homes as possible” sums up Elina Voutilainen, the CEO of Ekokamu.
Ekokamu wants to find its way into kitchens internationally. With the growing global trend towards more recycling, the company believes there is a real demand and market for a product like Ekokamu. Many countries mandate recycling by laws.
The company is making a clear statement with their product: the more people recycle their biowaste, the better. Ekokamu keeps biomass fresh. Fresh biowaste is valuable material for processing into renewable energy.
The production of Ekokamu containers is expected to start by the end of 2018. The containers will be initially produced for domestic use and, eventually, also for professional applications.
Ekokamu’s Indiegogo crowdsourcing campaign can be found here: https://igg.me/at/ekokamu
Read more information about Ekokamu: www.ekokamu.com/en
Elina Voutilainen
CEO
+358 40 5527 411
Riikka Krenn
Head of Marketing
+358 40 5477 682
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