Alternatives to plastic bags for compost.

We regularly get asked why we don't pack compost in paper bags and by using plastic, we are not environmentally friendly.

The only trade customers who buy my products that tend to store compost under cover are, allotment societies and commercial growers. The retail sector garden centre's, large diy chains, even supermarkets tend to store the compost, mulches, aggregates etc etc on pallets outside.

What is the practical solution?

 

Good question.

I'm trying to think how it would be sold if plastic didn't exist, but then all the builders merchants use plastic bags these days as well.

I think the real answer is to just make sure they are recycled properly.

 

A very good question indeed!

Compostable or re-useable bags with a re-usable pallet cover? Or bags made from recycled plastic that are genuinely recycled. You could ask Terracycle if they have any suggestions.

Eliminating single- use plastic is a definite marketing point, so many of us are now willing to change habits and even pay a bit more for a genuinely done effort of more sustainable product.

 

I find compost bags have a life of about five years....certainly not single use. They are used for transporting prunings to the recycle bins back garden to front, carrying larger pruned branches to work for a colleagues wood burner and finally, putting broken pots and trays in for their final trip to the bin. from a selfish point of view, I wouldn't want the compost bags to be compostable, as they would probably deteriorate before I'd finish using them.

 

I do reuse them but often get too many and have to bin them.
I have no idea if they are recyclable so they go in the black bin, not the recycle one.
The recycling in this country is a bit vague as to what is and what aint.

 

Not really, you are making the bags reusable, which works for you and others, I wouldn't call that selfish.

 

It's reported that two thirds of plastic waste in the UK is sent overseas for recycling. The report, if true, says that accounts for over 600,000 tonnes of waste plastic being exported. This will be exported mainly due to costs, I guess it is, cheaper to export for recycling than doing it in the UK.

 

I think we were exporting it to the Far East where they then dump it in the sea.

 

I've seen a few videos where recycled plastic is turned into building materials, like tiles, blocks, pallets etc. I worked in plastic extrusion years ago, the smell of the re cycled stuff used to get up my nose, but if it can be put to use at a reasonable cost, I'm all for it. I might look into doing some tubs from hdpe(recycle mark no. 2). If only I had as much time as I have ideas!

 

I take my empty bags down to the local stables and fill them with the good stuff.
Any that get torn or worn go in the recycling bin, but as Pete says each local authority has different rules as to what they will or wont take.

 

I buy over 2,000L of compost p.a. plus sacks of layers pellets, dog food, etc. We try and reuse them until they're falling apart.

Any excess bags get rolled up into bundles tied with baler twine and dropped off at local stables who give away their horse poo.

I hope compost bags dont go the same 'environmentally friendly' way as beer bottles, which became unsuitable for homebrewing fizzy stuff because they became thinner and unsuitable for reuse by homebrewers, but I suspect somebody will do that to 'reduce waste' and make these bags single use and unsuitable for reusing for a load of alternative uses.

 

Which could result in more packaging and more waste by going down the single use bag route.

The corona virus pandemic has created a plastic waste pandemic around the globe. The demand for PPE equipment and takeaway packaging has soared, I don't even think all this PPE can be recycled either.