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Burrito Brands Incorporated founder Marc Mataya invented the Leaf Burrito® in his front yard in Charlotte, NC in 2015, out of frustration and strong resistance to filling and wasting single-use bags. He didn't have time to bag up about 25 bags of leaves before a party at his home the next day. Instead, he raked and blew the leaves into a Costco-purchased tarp, which was blue on one side and brown on the other. After "burritoing" it up, the outside-brown color of the tarp looked like...well, exactly like a burrito. The next morning, Mataya ran up the street about six houses to greet the City of Charlotte Solid Waste staff who were coming down the street to collect the yard waste. He told the guys, "I need a big favor...I know the City doesn't accept tarps, but I have this big party tomorrow and I didn't have time to bag my leaves, and they are in a tarp a few houses down the street." The staff replied they will check it out when they work their way down to the house. The key word here is "work" their way down!
As Mataya watched them carrying and ripping the neighbor's plastic bags open one-by-one on their way down to his house, the first Aha moment kicked in! After a significantly long time of watching the staff rip open every plastic bag and putting each plastic bag into another plastic bag, the staff ultimately stopped in front of Mataya's tarp full of leaves. Mataya offered to help lift and flip the tarp into the truck but the staff effortlessly were able to dump over 25 bags worth of leaves into the truck in a matter of seconds. The staff member commented, "Yeah, we actually prefer it this way, otherwise we have to rip open every bag as you can see." This was the second Aha moment...we need a manageable, uniform, ergonomic and standardized "tarp" which stays closed and is easy to empty. This is where the Leaf Burrito® idea was born!
Leaf Burrito® is a twice-patented, reusable yard-debris removal tool, made of customized industrial-grade mesh and heavy-duty YKK® zippers. Our product eliminates single-use bags and tarps, and preserves landfills. It has strong handles for ergonomic loading and lifting onto rear-loaders, trailers or trucks and comes in 5-foot and 7-foot zipped-length sizes. Leaf Burrito’s goals are to reduce single-use bags and short-lived tarps, while making the arduous task of bagging leaves, weeds, grass, hedge and garden clippings a simple and eco-friendly experience.
Leaf Burrito® was invented, designed, and they are all manufactured in Charlotte, NC, USA! We are located at: 101 Scaleybark Road, Charlotte, NC 28209. The product launched in 2016, where it was well-received by residents, green industry businesses and Home-Owners Associations (HOAs) such as the 4400+ home Highland Creek neighborhood. As of March 2018, the 5-Foot Leaf Burrito® has been approved for curbside-emptying by the City of Charlotte Solid Waste Department.
Leaf Burrito® bags help protect valuable landfill space by eliminating the need for plastic bags. As cities around the world slowly discontinue picking up plastic film bags, homeowners are left with only paper bag options which are cumbersome to use, make curbsides unattractive, and are ultimately still single-use items that carry a large carbon footprint to produce and distribute. The City of Charlotte’s ordinance has banned plastic bags for yard waste as of July 5, 2021 and our approved 5-foot Leaf Burritos are here to save the day!
“One of my favorite things about the very simple design of the product is that it can create thousands of jobs as its construction is comprised of only cutting, sewing and screen printing. There are no batteries, bulbs or beeps.” - Marc Mataya
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