For many people, the idea of chucking away organic waste in a regular trash bag is counterproductive. And, indeed, most of your food trash won&#;t biodegrade in a landfill anyway.
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So whats the eco-friendly alternative?
I want to share with you a few reasons why you should swap out your regular trash bags for the more sustainable biodegradable trash bags.
I&#;ll also be giving you a list of the most viable alternatives to help you on you&#;re biodegradable trash bag journey.
What To Look For When Buying Biodegradable Trash Bags
When you are looking to buy biodegradable trash bags, there are certain things you need to look out for. Check out my list for biodegradable trash bags:
As always, you should check the price, especially if you&#;re on a budget. And with all the brands offering different quantities, it&#;s a good idea to compare it with the price.
The most common size is around 13 gallons, but that doesn&#;t mean they have the same dimensions. If you have 13-gallon trash can try and match the dimension.
There&#;s nothing worse than trying to pull-out a heavy bag of trash when it&#;s made with thin plastic. A thicker bag reduces the risk of splitting.
Every brand comes with its own count per roll. If you regularly use biodegradable plastic bags, then it&#;s a good idea to buy brands that offer the highest count.
And one last thing to thinks about drawstring or handles?Everyone has there own preferences drawstring or handles; it&#;s up to you. Compostable trash bags are just as versatile as the traditional plastic trash bags. So if you want drawstring, then you have an eco-friendly version out there.
What Are The Best Biodegradable Trash Bags?
Maybe you&#;re still struggling to make a decision, or perhaps you&#;re not sure where to start?
If this describes you in any way then I&#;m here to help. I&#;ve been using biodegradable and compostable trash bags for years. So I made a list of the best biodegradable garbage bags I could find:
bag is 23.75 Inches x 29.375 Inches, with a thickness of 0.85 mils.
There the all-natural and ethical choice of trash bags. They. Each
UNNI trash bags are BPI certified so they can get sent to commercial compost sites.
They guarantee 100% biodegradability in home composting while using the highest biobased content in plant starches.
That means no polyethylene.
The durable and non-toxic bags make the perfect alternative for your traditional kitchen trash bags.
13 gallons
23.75 inches x 29.375 inches
0.85 mill thick
50 bags per roll
BPI Certified
One person said it made them a little more aware of there trash they used. And that they worked well as a great alternative to plastic bags. The problem is they can work a little bit too well. People have complained they start to decompose when food scraps are added to the trash.
Thes big trash bags have no issue filling a 13-gallon trash bin. It&#;s nice to see ASTM D being used as a highly biodegradable plastic alternative. Although it does seem this particular brand does the job a little too well. Definitely worth thinking about your waste habits.
100% compostable
Durable
No polyethylene
Works too well
These compostable trash bags are great for kitchen top compost bins.
Each bag is 16.3 inches x 16.5 inches.
The rolls contain 100 Compostable trash bags and also have a bulk buy offer of 600 trash bags.
It&#;s a great organic waste collection bag.
The best bit is its BPI certified for home composting.
The bags should be used within a year and kept away from excessive heat, to ensure long life.
These are ideal kitchen trash bags for any home.
2.6 gallons
16.3 inches x 16.5 inches
0.71 mill thick
100 bags per roll
BPI certified
Most reviews said how great the bin liner worked for as a counter-top compost bin. The bag was durable and saved them having to clean the container too often. But again, they did say it works a little too well. You have about two days before the food scraps start to degrade the trash bags.
It&#;s nice to have small compostable bags. I hate having to clean the food waste container in my kitchen. Having small bags like this really makes the difference. But, unless you go through a lot of food waste, then these trash bags aren&#;t for you. They&#;ll dissolve by the time you fill it.
Strong
An ideal countertop bin liner
No polyethylene
Leaks if food is left in there too long
. Each roll has 50 trash bags and is 23.8 inches x 29.4 inches.
For extra strength, the trash bag is 0.87 mm thick.
The eco-friendly trash bags are made with corn and vegetable plastic, which is certified by BPI-ASTM D.
Their compostable trash bags can decompose in a home compost setting.
As the bags decompose, they leave nutrient-rich minerals, water, and Co2.
The compostable bags can fit in most tall bins and make a great alternative to plastic bags.
50 per roll
13 gallons
23.8 inches x 29.4 inches
0.87 mm thick
BPI certified
One customer said they fit well in his bin and had plenty left over to fold over the top. They were also delighted with how durable the bags were. You could hold plenty of trash, and it showed no signs of tearing. The main is when your storing wet food, although it tends to leak.
Overall the compostable trash bag is an excellent size and very durable. But, it&#;s a shame about the problem with the leaking. The plant-based plastic can&#;t be home composted, so make sure you check there&#;s a commercial composting scheme in your area.
Uses a corn and vegetable plastic
Guaranteed compostable
Leaves nutrient-rich minerals
leaks after a few days
Inwaysin makes all of its compostable trash bags with raw materials.
They use plant starch as a new type of PSM.
Which means is can biodegrade without leaving any traces.
Each roll comes with 75 kitchen trash bags and comes in a pack of five.
Each one of their waste bags is a massive 24.8 inches x 31.5 inches, with a thickness of 1 mill.
The waste bags are a lot stronger than your average compostable garbage bags.
13-gallon bag
75 garbage bags per roll
18.8 inches x 31.5 inches
One mill thick
For more Biodegradable Hazardous Waste Bags Supplierinformation, please contact us. We will provide professional answers.
Much tougherIt was there first time using compostable trash bags and were very pleased with how well they performed. It didn&#;t have a plastic bag smell and felt very eco-friendly. They were also thrilled that garbage bags didn&#;t seem to leak or look like they would.
Inwaysin makes some solid, durable bags that can hold well over 13 gallons of trash. A contender for any kitchen draw. I do have some worries about the materials. It says it their compostable bags, but it also claims to be bioplastics. It&#;s just something to think about.
Very thick
No tearing
Very large
Made with bioplastics
Why Use Biodegradable Trash Bags?
Let&#;s start with; they are better for the environment than your regular trash bag. At least biodegradable bags break down eventually.
But, biodegradable trash bags still have their own issues when buried under piles of trash. The problem is the trash bags don&#;t get subjected to the right conditions; this includes:
Heat
Oxygen
Humidity
After tons of waste getting piled on top of your biodegradable trash bag, it&#;s doubtful it will ever decompose.
And that&#;s why looking for trash bags that are biodegradable and compostable is the best option.
The compostable trash bags break down a lot easier than standard biodegradable trash bags. And they don&#;t leave toxins behind. Which, unfortunately, some biodegradable bin bags do.
Anyway, mixing organic food waste with plastic seems stupid. We all have the opportunity to home compost, why mix great compost with plastic?
And if you can&#;t home compost, then commercial composting sites can take care of the waste; but you&#;ll need to get compostable bags. If you don&#;t, it&#;s likely it will just end up being sent to the landfill.
In , it&#;s thought over 40 million tons of food waste was generated, and 76% got sent to landfill sites. That makes up for around 22% of all discarded waste. The worst thing is all this organic, compostable, and biodegradable trash is likely to stay there forever.
They think 1/3 of all food gets wasted, which let&#;s face it, is a problem in itself, but it&#;s having harmful effects on landfill sites too. You might think it doesn&#;t, but it does.
The biodegradable waste isn&#;t subjected to the right conditions needed to decompose, so we start to see an increase in methane gas.
This is why we need to start composting and using biodegradable bags. It will help to lower the effects the greenhouse gases are having on the planet.
What Are Biodegradable Trash Bags Made Of?
Biodegradable trash bags can be from various materials. The problem is some biodegradable trash bags use petrochemicals, which makes them no better than regular trash bags.
Which is another reason I like to go for biodegradable and compostable trash bags.
Compostable bags break down much quicker because there made with cornstarch or potato starch. So no petrochemicals and no harming the environment.
However:
When choosing a biodegradable bag, there are a few things you need to watch for. There are so many products out there that sound biodegradable, but that doesn&#;t mean they are. Make sure you watch out for these:
Bio-or Plant-based &#; This means the plastic is made from plants, but that doesn&#;t mean it&#;s biodegradable. If you buy Bio-or plant-based trash bags, make sure you check it&#;s been certified by BPI.
Bioplastic &#; This is one of the more confusing terms. It could mean that the plastic is biodegradable and compostable, great, right? Well, unfortunately not, it could also mean that it&#;s made from plant-based materials.
Degradable &#; It is a little easier to get your head around, but still confusing. It means the product is neither biodegradable nor compostable. Pretty pointless if you ask me!
How Long Do Biodegradable Trash Bags Take To Decompose?
As you can see, these products definitely sound better for the environment, but they are doubtful ever to decompose.
It&#;s not known precisely and heavily depends on the brand and the conditions it&#;s subjected too. But, they do think around three to six months to decompose fully.
But, if you&#;re not careful with what brand of trash bags your use. There&#;s a chance you might find it&#;s no better for the environment than regular trash bags.
Look for trash bags that are compostable and biodegradable. When exposed to moisture, they start to break down, and they don&#;t leave pieces of plastic behind.
How quickly compostable trash bags take to decompose depends on:
Moisture
The PH level of the soil
Humidity
Summary
So if you are looking for new kitchen trash bags, make sure you go biodegradable and compostable!
So remember, there are a few things you need to look out for before choosing your compostable trash bags. First, the most effective material is ASTM D; it degrades the quickest and leaves no traces.
Secondly, think about how many compostable bags you&#;re likely to go through; if you use a lot, why not bulk buy? It will save money and time.
Some compostable trash bags are scented, so if you want your kitchen smelling a little fresher, then it&#;s an excellent option for you.
Durability is a massive factor with compostable bags, they&#;re notoriously thin. Having a bag split in your kitchen is a nightmare. Choose a nice durable bag to avoid this horrible situation.
Lastly, think about the size. Nothing grinds my gears more than a poorly fitted bin bag. Check the manufacturer&#;s sizes and try to match it to your bin.
If you liked this kitchen bin episode or if you have any questions, please comment below. And please don&#;t forget to share it, lets cut down on plastic trash together.
Do you want to lower your carbon footprint and cut down on more plastic? Take a look at my article about the best reusable grocery bags.
Pick any product off a supermarket shelf and there's a good chance it's either made from plastic or packaged with it in one form or another. Not surprisingly, all this plastic adds up. Australians send more than a million tonnes of plastic waste to landfill every year, where it will sit for generations as it ever-so-slowly breaks down.
In an effort to tackle the growing waste problem, some plastic products are now being made so they break down more readily. But do these so-called 'biodegradable' plastics really give you a chance to outlive a muesli bar wrapper? Or is it just clever spin aimed at grabbing your green dollar?
The conversation on biodegradable plastics has so far focused on supermarket shopping bags, and for good reason. As a nation we use nearly four billion of them every year, according to Planet Ark.
But there are many other products in which biodegradable plastics are already being used. "You can find them in almost anything out there, it just depends on the region you are in and the brands that are available to you," says Teresa Clark from US-based plastics manufacturer ENSO.
Clark says biodegradable plastics are targeted at replacing those items you usually use once and throw in the rubbish bin, like the plastic that holds your breakfast cereal or the packaging on kids' toys. Some products already available in Australia include bin liners, cling film, sandwich bags and nappies, with more products expected to roll out in the near future.
Something is considered biodegradable if it can be broken down by living things, usually by microorganisms like bacteria and fungi. When it comes to plastic, however, the meaning of biodegradable gets a little more complicated.
There are certain conditions, like temperature and moisture, which affect how well a plastic breaks down. This means a biodegradable plastic will not simply break down wherever it ends up. If it is not disposed of correctly or ends up as litter, it might not break down at all.
In Australia, the term biodegradable usually refers to plastics that are 'compostable', meaning they will break down when placed in a home compost bin or commercial composting facility. When disposed of correctly, a compostable plastic will almost completely biodegrade within six months &#; a big improvement on the 100-plus years it would take for something like a normal plastic bag to break down in landfill.
There is an Australian standard that specifies the conditions that must be met for a plastic to be considered compostable, but it is voluntary for manufacturers to verify that their products conform to the standard. Rowan Williams, president of the Australasian Bioplastics Association, which administers the verification scheme in Australia, says it's easy to know if a plastic has been verified by looking at the label (see How do I know it's biodegradable?). "Unless it is verified, then it may not actually be compostable," he says.
You sure can &#; but it will be of little benefit. Most of the general (non-recyclable) rubbish in your bin ends up at the local landfill, and the idea behind compostable plastic is to divert the plastic from landfill altogether.
"They may eventually biodegrade in landfill, but it will be very slow and there would be little point in doing that," says Williams. "It is a feel-good factor, in terms of buying the compostable plastic, but it's not something that you should do if that is where it will end up."
And if compostable plastics end up as litter, there is also no guarantee they will break down.
If the plastic is labelled 'home compostable', then it can go in your home compost bin. But the majority of products currently available are labelled 'compostable', meaning they need to go to a commercial composting facility, where they get treated with high temperatures to create an organic-rich soil that can be on-sold.
Williams says there are around 150 of these facilities in Australia, but not many of them are in the major cities. "If you've got the place for these plastics to go then it works beautifully, but today in mainstream Australia there is no guarantee that a compostable plastic will go to a composting site because they are not that prevalent."
Some local councils provide easy access to composting facilities through their kerbside waste collections. In South Australia, for example, kerbside collection of compostable waste, including food waste, is provided in most local council areas.
If your local council allows you to put food scraps into your green organics bin along with your garden waste, then there is a chance that waste may be going to a commercial composting facility &#; check with your local council to be sure.
If you don't have access to a commercial composting facility, you can contact the Australian Organics Recycling Association to find the nearest facility that's a member of the association.
Read more: How to recycle plastic bags and wrappers
You may come across products that are labelled 'biodegradable' but don't claim to be compostable. These products should not be disposed of in a composting facility or in your home compost bin. The best way to dispose of these plastics depends on the product, but it should be written on the label. For example, we've come across plastic products labelled as 'landfill biodegradable', which means they can be disposed of in your general rubbish.
Also, look on the label for how long it will take for the plastic to break down and by how much (for example, 100% biodegradable means the entire product will biodegrade). Unlike for compostable plastic, there is no Australian standard for labelling a product as biodegradable, which means there is no time limit on how long it must take to break down. A product can be called biodegradable if it takes two years to break down or if it takes 10 years &#; just so long as it eventually happens.
Plastic and plastic-wrapped products have popped up on supermarket shelves carrying the label 'degradable' or 'oxo-degradable'. These products should not be confused with biodegradable plastics, as they do not require living organisms to break down. Instead, chemical additives are used in the plastic to make it crumble more quickly than it would otherwise.
Degradable plastics can help reduce the amount of plastic litter that we see, but the plastic is still there, just in smaller pieces. And smaller pieces of plastic litter can actually be hazardous to more wildlife.
For example, Dr Denise Hardesty, a research scientist with the CSIRO, says small pieces of plastic are having harmful effects on marine animals.
"Parts of a plastic bottle or plastic bag may be more accessible to larger marine species like turtles and seals, but those same items become accessible to more and more species in the food chain as they break down," Hardesty explains.
Fish, crustaceans and even corals are known to eat small pieces of plastic, mistaking them for food. And as these smaller animals get eaten by larger ones, Hardesty says the plastic accumulates up the food chain, affecting more and more species as it goes.
The label should tell you all you need to know, but there can be some other confusing terms on there as well. Here's our guide to what &#; and what not &#; to look for.
The best way to reduce your plastic waste is to use as little plastic as possible. Here are our top tips for reducing your plastic waste:
Also remember to recycle your plastic waste where possible.
Incorporating biodegradable plastics into everyday consumer products makes sense, but they need to be disposed of correctly to be of any benefit. If you have a home compost bin or access to a commercial composting facility, then home or commercially compostable plastics are the best choice. Ultimately, however, the best way to reduce your plastic footprint is to use as little of it as possible.
Read more: 10 common recycling mistakes to avoid
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