SASKATOON -- Curtis Coleman initially set out with a plan to re-design the lint roller, but when he examined possible materials to use he came across mycelium, the vegetative body of a fungus.

He worked on perfecting a compostable lint roller and with help from a local marketing company he plans on making his company, Cogomelo, about replacing plastic in popular items.

"It is quickly emerging as a new material. NASA is actually looking at using it to do some of the structures they want to build on Mars," Coleman said.

The product isn’t fully made from mycelium, it also utilizes sawdust and hemp fibres to help strengthen the roller.

Once the lint roller has served its purpose it can be put into the composter and three months later it will be gone. A protective coating prevents it from breaking down while it’s still in use.

The roller has gone through some changes as Coleman tries to perfect the prototype. Now that Coleman has a product he’s willing to sell, he’s turning to Kickstarter to help get the ball rolling.

Coleman set a goal for $12,400, an amount he has to reach by the end of the month. So far Cogomelo is 20 per cent of the way there.

If the goal is surpassed Coleman will use the money to begin designing and producing other products. They’re planning on a planter, a desk lamp, a trash bin, a reusable cooler, plates and cups.

The money from the Kickstarter will be used to help boost production, as now Cogomelo is capable of producing lint rollers, but not on a larger scale.

"We can grow these inside of a warehouse, we can use agricultural waste to do it, we can do it at a price that’s competitive to our plastic counterparts. The sky’s the limit," Coleman said.

He has been working alongside Danger Dynamite, a local marketing company that was excited to be a part of Coleman working to make a change.

Coleman says his "eureka" moment was when he started to look at mycelium more, realizing that it wasn’t only a green way to make new products, but it is also cheap.

He is planning on selling the lint rollers for $5 each, a price at which many of his plastic competitors sell their items.