What is the difference between degradable, biodegradable and
compostable bags? And which bin do they go in? DEGRADABLE Degradable bags are made from plastic with other chemicals added (including heavy metals) that cause the plastic to break down and disintegrate over time when exposed to sunlight and heat. If degradable bags are released into our environment they become quite problematic as they break down into hundreds of tiny pieces of plastic. Animals can consume the smaller pieces of plastic more readily than they would if the bags were still whole. It is also much more difficult to remove hundreds of tiny pieces of plastic from the environment than it is to remove a single bag. Which Bin? Degradable bags should only be used for and placed into your general waste bin. BIODEGRADABLE Like degradable bags, biodegradable are often still plastic bags that have microorganisms added to break down the plastic. Which bin? Biodegradable bags should only be used for and placed into your general waste bin COMPOSTABLE Compostable bags are made of natural plant starch, and do not produce any toxic material. Compostable bags break down readily in a composting system through microbial activity to form compost. In order to be classified as compostable they must meet the Australian Standard for compostability AS4736 and will have this symbol. Which bin? Compostable bags can be used to line your kitchen caddy for collection of food scraps and then placed into the green lidded food and garden organics (FOGO) bin. Don’t waste them in your general waste bin as they will not compost well in a landfill environment. #northernbeachescleanupcrew #plastic #plasticbag Comments are closed.
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