Bigbelly Solar, LLC, a world leader in public space waste and recycling solutions for more than 20 years, marked the grand opening of its U.S. manufacturing facility last week.
“We’re excited to bring local, innovative employment opportunities to the Merrimack Valley,” said Jeff Satwicz, Bigbelly’s founder and VP of business development. “Mass. workers are engaged, productive and deliver a cost-competitive product to better our world. Our mission is to make public spaces better, more beautiful and welcoming through complete waste containment, which eliminates litter, pests and odor from overflow”.
The facility, which straddles the communities of Methuen and Lawrence, is the primary production location for Bigbelly-branded bins, from budget-friendly to solar-powered smart waste options.
Bigbelly provides a variety of waste solutions for more than 2,500 active customers in 60 countries. Bigbelly bins deliver complete waste containment, creating safe, clean and welcoming public spaces in communities, college campuses, entertainment districts, transit hubs and businesses.
There are approximately two dozen employees at the Methuen location, performing jobs that were previously conducted by a third party outside of the U.S.
Bigbelly Methuen is located in the former Malden Mills complex in a building now owned by IndusPad. The way the space is laid out in the former Polartec building, Bigbelly bins are built in Methuen and shipped from Lawrence to sites throughout North America and abroad.
With corporate headquarters in Needham, Mass., Bigbelly’s strategic manufacturing locations in Methuen and Stadtlohn, Germany, which serves Europe and Asia, allow Bigbelly to serve communities across the world more efficiently, providing a shorter lead time and enhanced value proposition.
The business was founded in 2003 by Satwicz, a freshman at Olin College of Engineering at the time, and three of his friends from Olin and Babson College. Their first bin was sold in 2004 to a Vail, Colo., ski resort, and the company was brought to market in 2005.
Bigbelly was founded on the promise of increased productivity by compacting waste using the power of the sun instead of electricity. Compaction results in five times the capacity of a traditional barrel, avoids overflows and reduces costs. Bigbelly’s fully enclosed bins also lead to a reduction in litter, pests and odor. Municipalities using Bigbelly bins reduce their collections by 80 percent, leading to a 70 percent decrease in carbon footprint due to fewer truck trips.
In 2010, Bigbelly developed smart bins, which, through the use of a software platform, provide real-time information on the status of the bins, reporting overflow or other issues. The Bigbelly Element is a budget-friendly bin, delivering complete waste containment at a more affordable price.
Bigbelly recently launched Bigbelly Smart Compost, a residential food waste-collection program that provides a convenient, cost-effective way for residents to dispose of food waste in the most environmentally responsible way available.
IndusPad was founded by Jitender Makkar in 2017. Bigbelly is one of 14 anchor tenants at the Methuen location.
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