Biodegradable, compostable or reusable?
On our Insta recently, another Recycle Hero asked us about the enigma that is… bin liners. Which got us thinking, what is the deal with plastic, biodegradable or compostable bags, and which one would be the best to use as a bin liner?
Honestly, researching this topic has been much more complicated than we had anticipated. We thought we were unable to find a perfect solution. That is until we stumbled upon TOMbag, a reusable garbage bag made from recycled plastic by Sydney locals.
We reached out to Sasha, the Co-Founder of TOMbag to clear up some of the murkier information when it comes to bioplastics and compostable materials.
“When talking about the particular use case of garbage bags, neither biodegradable, nor compostable are the right solution for the environment.”
Sasha Pestano, Co-Founder of TOMbag
RecycleSmart: What is better, biodegradable or compostable?
Sasha: When talking about the particular use case of garbage bags, neither biodegradable, nor compostable are the right solution for the environment.
To start with, all compostable materials are biodegradable, but not the other way around. Biodegradable products require special conditions in order to degrade including light, oxygen and heat (usually temperatures over 50C) that are impossible to achieve in landfill sites.
To make things worse, some biodegradable plastics are also fossil-based meaning that they will always leave microplastics behind - similarly to conventional plastic materials.
Compostable garbage bags are made out of plants, but in order to form compost they need to be processed at a special industrial composting facility or be placed in a home compost.
Australian councils recommend to use certified compostable garbage bags only for food scraps and place them in special green lidded FOGO bins.
Contrary to what many people think, compostable garbage bags are really bad if used for general waste. Not only do compostable garbage bags don't have a chance to break down in landfill conditions, they also release methane - a greenhouse gas at least 80 times more potent than CO2 over a 20-year period.
When evaluating the environmental impact of compostable materials, consumers should also consider how they are made - don't forget that growing crops requires large amounts of water and use of fertilizers that impact waterways and soil quality to name just a few.
If choosing single-use it seems that the best alternative are bags fully made out of recycled plastic. But these bags are still single-use and are products of linear economy. As the whole world transitions to a circular economy and circular products, we believe that they won't be staying with us for long.
RecycleSmart: Are we allowed to throw unbagged garbage into our bins?
Sasha: I can't provide a definitive answer for all the Australian councils, but can assure you that most Australian councils are absolutely fine with unbagged garbage meant to go to your general waste bin.
Most of the councils are only worried about things like dust or lightweight plastic to be unbagged as they can be easily blown away on windy days but for these types of waste you can always use things like old newspaper to wrap them securely.
Before starting TOMbag we contacted all the councils in Australia and found out that many of them encourage their residents to avoid the use of single-use bin liners for their waste. Operating from Ku-ring-gai Council in Sydney, our initiative received our Council's approval and support where we are able to offer special discounts to Ku-ring-gai residents.
Head to the Tombag website to find out more about reusable garbage bags.
If you’re swapping out bin liners, we recommend putting food waste in a compost bin or wrapped inside paper if it’s going in the red lidded bin.
Sources:
Checking Out on Plastics II by Greenpeace and The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA)
Why "bioplastics" won't solve plastic pollution by Rethink Plastic
LCA of waste bags by IFEU Heidelberg
