Benefits of Compostable Bags in Residential Organics Collection
Christopher A. Bradlee and J. Derek Luellen BASF Corporation, 1609 Biddle Ave,
Wyandotte, MI 48192
Organics diversion is an important topic in many places around the world.
Whether it’s the methane produced as a greenhouse gas in a landfill, the nutrients and
energy being buried and lost in a landfill, or the added cost in sending organics to a
landfill, organic waste has become an issue. Nearly 30% of discarded waste is either
food or yard trimmings that if sent to a landfill creates methane gas as it anaerobically
decomposes (decomposes with a lack of oxygen).
A solution to organic material needlessly filling up landfill space and creating
methane gas is waste diversion through composting. Composting takes organic waste
and through the natural processes of microorganisms breaking down the material under
the right conditions a nutrient and microbe rich, soil additive is created that can be used
by farmers, gardeners, landscapers, and many others.
The problem that occurs for waste before it gets to the compost facility is the
odor and mess that residents have to deal with keeping the organics separate from
other material. A way to hygienically contain these organics from kitchen to waste
hauler without contaminating the end product was needed and the advent of
compostable bags fit the bill, but how would they perform and would they be accepted?
In 2011 the town of Bad Durkheim, Germany BASF ran a 3 month trial with the
waste management service AWB in which 65,000 households were each given 10 bags
made of BASF Ecovio FS and produced by Weltplast. The residents were told to place
their food waste into the bags and send them out to be composted and if they required
additional bags they could purchase them at specific locations. The Grunstadt organic
composting plant then took and composted the material as it normally would under
standard conditions. An independent consulting company, IBK-Solutions, monitored the
compost for proper biodegradation, contaminant content, as well as resident response.
During the test IBK-Solutions found that the compost did not end up with an
increased number of conventional, non-biodegradable bags and that the bags could be
stored for up to two weeks without any liquid seeping through. Residents found the fact
that it was easier to collect organics without wet soggy bags and unpleasant odors very
appealing.
The Ecovio FS compostable bags did not affect the composition of the compost:
the density, water and salt content, pH, nutrients, percentage of organic matter and
other components in the compost all remained unchanged and there was no need for
laborious segregation of the compost bags before composting. The trial was a complete
success with a resident satisfaction rate of 90% and later that year they instituted the
program permanently.