LENOIR -- A growing demand for environmentally sound products is good news for a Lenoir maker of biodegradable packaging peanuts.
"Our timing is right on target," said Frank Garriga, the president of Milex of the Carolinas, the exclusive manufacturer in North Carolina and South Carolina of a completely biodegradable packaging peanut.
Manufactured using only grain protein, pectin and water, Milex loose fill meets the International Organization for Standardization definition of biodegradable, which is a product that is capable of being consumed by bacteria to the point where there is no toxic residue left behind.
Garriga says that no toxic chemicals are used in the manufacture of the product as there are with starch-based and polystyrene loose fill.
Because of its biodegradable and all-natural features, Milex loose fill can be sent to landfills for disposal without any concern for contamination, he said. It can even be used as fertilizer on plants, lawns or flowers, he said.
The 60-year-old Hickory man became familiar with the product through friends who had invested in Milex, based in Texas.
Garriga, a former manager of Valley Hills Mall and the longtime owner of two stores in Catawba Furniture Mall, says he recognized the product's potential.
"With the ever-increasing need for companies to participate in the green movement, this is the right product at the right time," Garriga said.
In addition to being biodegradable, Garriga said, Milex loose fill has several other properties that are attractive:
The fill resists settling in a package, letting people use less of it. It is priced competitively with plastic foam and is generally less expensive than starch products.
Milex is not attractive to mice and other pests, because all digestible parts of the grain are removed during manufacture.
The loose fill is naturally free of static.
Garriga says that Milex allows packagers to be sensitive to the environment while saving money.
"With the rising costs of petroleum and starch-based alternatives, Milex affords companies a more stable cost structure for their operations," he said. "And a lot of times, green products cost more. Milex doesn't."
The Lenoir manufacturing plant, which opened in February, can produce 20,000 to 25,000 cubic feet of packaging peanuts a week.
A second production plant recently opened in Spartanburg, S.C.
Milex of the Carolinas sells primarily to packaging companies, which in turn sell to customers.
■ John Dayberry is an editor with the Hickory Daily Record.
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