Sustainability Guide
1. What is home compostable plastic?
Home compostable plastic is the future of sustainable plastic, with the ability to break down within 60-120 days (dependent on conditions) in a non-toxic manner when exposed to air, water, heat, and the soil's natural organisms
Biodegradable plastic is not a sustainable solution and is not compostable. This material rarely degrades, eventually breaking into microplastics and leaving toxic residue.
Home compostable and Compostable(Industrial) are not the same. Compostable plastics require industrial conditions which are controlled and very specific, while home compostable plastics break down under a wider variety of conditions. Be sure to look for the “home compostable” mark
We recommend adding food & organics waste to your compostable plastic to speed up the composting process and take one step further in responsible waste management 👍
2. Why is this important?
Traditional & Biodegradable plastics are toxic and either never degrade, or break down into microplastics that are destroying our environment and overflowing our landfills. In order to be responsible for our waste, we must ensure that we dispose of packaging correctly. The circular composting economy is the ultimate solution, because, unlike recycling, once compostable plastic is disposed of correctly there is nothing left but nutrients 🤓
We need to take accountability and do what we can to preserve our environment, today.
3. Where can you dispose of your home compostable bag?
Although the material is compostable, you should still try to reuse the bag at least once before disposal(if you can). Once you are done, you can either cut the compostable plastic into pieces, or fill the bag with food and organics waste and dispose of the bag at one of the below locations 📍
⦾ Using any container with a lid, or pick a spot in the garden and start composting at home
⦾ Connect with others who care on Sharewaste
⦾ Love in a bowl (ERF4061 Hout Bay Main Rd, Tierboskloof, Cape Town, 7806)
⦾ Earthworx (6 Valley Rd, Cnr Valley and Victoria Road, Hout Bay, 7806)
⦾ Hout Bay International School (61 Main Rd, Hout Bay, Cape Town, 7806)
✅ What can be composted:
- Food Scraps
- Compostable Bags
- Tea Bags/Coffee Grind
- Plant & Leaf Matter
- Untreated wood
- Newspaper
4. What should I not do with compostable plastic 🚫
❌ - Do not mix with traditional, recycled, or biodegradable plastic waste. This will contaminate waste streams. Our bags are orange and clearly marked as home compostable.
❌ - Do not litter or throw in the bin, this may very well end up in a landfill and be deprived of oxygen, making it difficult for the material to break down.
5. What is a circular economy waste system?
By composting things that can be composted, organic waste is converted into valuable resources. It is eternally round! Even recyclable cardboard and paper might be composted rather than recycled once more 😉
For those who want to keep learning more 📚
The Moss Group - The South African initiative to end plastic waste: Biodegradable and Compostable Packaging
European Parliament - Circular Economy: definition, importance & benefits