Green Shoots Blog

Over the years we have seen a variety of creative applications for Cali Bamboo products – everything from bamboo fish tanks, skateboards, and light fixtures, to rocking chairs, wedding arbors and archery equipment. But one of the most creative applications we have seen recently is actually a smart solution to a common problem— trash!
For city dwellers with limited space, keeping garbage bins out of sight is anything but practical. Unfortunately, many trash cans don’t look much better than the trash you find inside them! Enter CitiBin, a NYC-based company that utilizes our BamDeck® composite decking Fascia boards to achieve the impossible: making trash beautiful. Recognized as a 2014 Martha Stewart American Made design finalist, CitiBin creates cleverly-designed outdoor enclosures to attractively conceal trash, recycling, and composting bins. CitiBins are designed to blend in with any home’s exterior, enhancing property value and serving as the ideal solution for any city condo or co-op!
– Liz Picarazzi, co-founder of CitiBin.
Designed with urban architecture in mind, each CitiBin is custom-built, tailored to each individual homeowner’s space and needs. The company spent 3 years perfecting the design, which uses only high-grade materials including a non-rusting aluminum frame, stainless steel hardware, and of course, Cali Bamboo BamDeck® Fascia. “We chose the Cali Bamboo fascia boards because we needed a durable, attractive, sustainable facing to our trash enclosures,” says CitiBin co-founder Liz Picarazzi. “Other composites we tried were too thick, heavy, and not as easy to work with.”
While traditional wood warps, cracks, and discolors outdoors, BamDeck® is made from recycled bamboo and plastic composite that holds up under the elements, even the hot summers and and harsh winters of New York City. “Our clients much prefer our enclosures over plastic trash sheds and those made of pressure treated lumber, which degrades very quickly in NY weather,” says Liz. CitiBin also offers optional planters to top off the enclosures, turning your trash area into an urban garden!
Homeowners often put a great deal of time and effort into making the outside of their homes beautiful, just to be countered by ugly trash bins or a warped and rusty enclosure. CitiBin fixes this problem with long-lasting, attractive containers that fit in perfectly with any home’s facade! CitiBin is currently available exclusively in New York City. Check out their website for more info!
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I have been continually impressed with BamDeck’s workability with carbide tipped tools in the maker-workshop environment. In many cases, it cuts, mills and sands like wood with the added benefit of being very weatherproof.