In EU, only 25% of organic waste is composted, leaving much room for improvement. Using a certified compostable and biodegradable bag for organic waste collection will leave zero harmful persistent residue in the final compost or bio pulp. In contrast to conventional plastic which will enter our soil for hundreds of years and circle around as damaging microplastics.
1. Avoid microplastics in the field
Biobags are certified fully compostable and will always disappear within a brief period, in contrast to conventional plastics which will enter our environment for at least hundred years and circle around as damaging microplastics. When food waste is collected in a biobag destined for biogas production or turned into compost for agricultural land, Biobags will not leave microplast in the soil. The conditions under which the Biobag decomposes will determine how long the biodegradation process takes. There can be fragments looking like conventional plastic bits during biodegradation, either with composting or biogas production, but rest assure, it is not.
2. Weight reduction
Organic waste is one of the heaviest waste fractions meaning higher costs for transport, and pre-handling. Biobags are breathable allowing the moisture to evaporate and the waste to dry out, reducing the overall weight. Using a Biobag in a MaxAir, ventilated kitchen caddy, the evaporation can reduce its weight by 13% over three days.
3. Reduced CO2 emissions
Biobags emits roughly the same amount of CO2 during the production process as other bags, but because of the biogenic content of our bags, CO2 emissions will be lower if incinerated than a conventional plastic bag. Our bags are very elastic, making them strong and user-friendly. Some treatment plants may therefore decide to remove the bags before the organic waste is treated. The bags and residue after waste sorting are fully compostable with the bio pulp or final compost, but if a waste treatment plant decides to incinerate the bags, the CO2 emissions will be lower comparing to a conventional plastic bag.
4. Achieve a cleaner waste fraction
Citizens become more attentive to what they place in the organic waste bin when they receive a compostable bag from their municipality. In a Danish municipality the purity levels rose from 75% to 97% after switching to compostable food waste bag.
5. Recover energy and nutrient-rich compost
Every year, humankind produces almost 1 billion tons of organic waste. If we collect it in the normal bin with residual waste, it goes to an incineration facility to be burnt or left in a landfill to rot where it produces methane gas, which is 28 times as damaging than CO2. By using a compostable bag to collect our organic waste, the bag itself will become part of the waste it carries and allow us to recover the valuable resources within the organic waste, if converted into biogas or nutritious compost to grow new crops in. Additionally by sorting the organics out of the residual waste, the remaining waste and recycling fraction are less contaminated, easier to handle and more valuable.
6. European production
Biobags are European made, close to our customers and minimizing our carbon footprint. Why ship compostable bags thousands of kilometres across the globe, ranking up significant emissions, when we can make it right here, close to our customers? It's about the bag’s entire journey, from creation to disposal, considering the energy consumed in production, transport, usage, waste optimization, and the assurance it won't turn into harmful microplastics. We see more public tenders now requiring compostable bags to be produced locally, right here in Europe - and that’s fantastic! We respect the environment, save energy, and use 100% renewable energy at our factory In Estonia to produce your products.
7. Certification
The journey from the bag to biomaterial varies. It might take place in an industrial composting facility, a backyard compost heap or at a biogas facility. With each scenario comes unique conditions - temperatures, micro-organisms, and timelines. That’s why certification is crucial. It considers these factors and ensures our products are ready for whatever biodegradation process they’ll be a part of.
8. Showing the value of waste sorting
Across Europe, climate and environment have dominated the agenda for some time. Influencing public behaviour in a positive direction often requires a combination of sound information and sensible legislation. But nothing amplifies the impact quite like public institutions leading by example. By recovering the valuable resources within organic waste repurposing for energy - replacing coal-based electricity production - and using the resulting biomass as nutrient-rich fertilizer, municipalities can show their citizens the value of waste sorting.
9. Reduce the dependency of fossil resources
Our products are partly made of renewable resources that can be regrown in a relatively short amount of time. The bags are made of Mater-Bi, a bioplastic raw material created by combining starch and vegetable oil derivatives with compostable and biodegradable polymer. Some constituents of the raw materials, which are necessary for the bag to function properly, are not currently available in a renewable form. However, all the constituents and raw materials used in the production of the bags, whether renewable or non-renewable, have been carefully selected to ensure they meet the EN 13432 standard for biodegradability and compostability, and do not have any negative impact on the environment. It is important to note that no matter the amount of renewable vs non-renewable content in our bags, they can be eaten by microorganisms.
