Which compostable bags are allowed in food waste bins? Switzerland, Germany, Austria and France
Paper bag, newspaper, compostable bin liner – or no bag at all? It sounds like a simple question, but the answer changes at every border. In Switzerland, each municipality decides what goes into the green waste. In Germany, stricter plastic limits for biowaste have applied since 1 May 2025. Austria's authorities recommend collecting without bags wherever possible. And in France, where sorting food waste has been compulsory for everyone since 1 January 2024, a ministerial order lists exactly which bags may be collected with it.
If you buy compostable trash bags for a business, a hotel, a canteen or a municipality, you need to know two things: which standard a bag meets, and which rule applies where it will be used. This guide covers both, with a source for every rule at the end.
The short answer
- Switzerland: there is no single national rule. Zurich and the Lucerne region only accept compostable bags with a printed grid; the Canton of Geneva recommends a certified 7-litre compostable bag. Your municipality's waste guide is what counts.
- Germany: paper bags, small amounts of newspaper and certified compostable plastic bags are permitted by federal law – but plastic bags only if certified to EN 13432 or EN 14995, made mainly from renewable raw materials, proven to disintegrate within six weeks, and printed with the mandatory label set out in Annex 5 of the Biowaste Ordinance. Even then, your local waste authority can refuse them.
- Austria: biowaste should go into the bin without plastic bags – and, where possible, without paper or certified biodegradable bags too. The municipality is responsible.
- France: only paper or cardboard bags and plastic bags that are compostable under home-composting conditions may be collected with food waste. A bag certified to EN 13432 alone is no longer enough, and each local authority can still refuse bags.
- Never allowed anywhere: conventional plastic bags and so-called "oxo-degradable" bags.
What makes the best compostable trash bags for a business?
"Best" is not about the thickest film or the greenest colour. For a professional buyer, the best compostable bin liner is the one that is accepted by the facility that treats your waste – and holds up in daily use. In practice that means five things:
- A genuine certification. At minimum EN 13432, with a certificate number you can check. If bags may end up in home compost, a home-compost certification as well.
- The local marking. A printed grid where Swiss municipalities require it; the Annex 5 label for German bins.
- The right material for the site. Some collectors accept only paper; others accept compostable film; some prefer loose waste.
- The right size and strength. Wet food waste from kitchens needs a stronger film or a star-sealed base; a bag that is too small tears when lifted out.
- Traceability. Knowing where and how your bags are made matters when you have to justify a purchase.
Compostable, biodegradable, allowed: three different things
"Biodegradable" is not a protected term. A product can carry the word without ever having been tested in a composting plant. We explain the difference in Compostable or biodegradable: what's the difference?
"Compostable" refers to a standard. EN 13432 is the EU standard for industrial compostability. Among other things, it requires that in an industrial composting plant the material disintegrates within twelve weeks, with no more than 10 % of residues larger than 2 mm, that at least 90 % biodegrades within six months, and that the resulting compost does not harm plant growth , and that the material stays within heavy-metal limits. Home composting, which is cooler and slower, is covered by other standards; our article on EN 13432 and EN 17427 explains what each certification tests.
"Allowed" depends neither on the manufacturer nor on the standard, but on the rules and the plant that treats your waste. Many plants digest food waste into biogas first. According to Swiss Recycle, digestion usually takes three to four weeks – so a bag that has twelve weeks to disintegrate may still be there. And the sorting equipment in many plants cannot tell a compostable bag from a plastic one. That is why the rules for food waste bins are often stricter than the standard.
Switzerland: the municipality decides, the grid helps
The Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN/BAFU) states that bags with a printed grid pose no problem for industrial biogas and composting plants. The industry agreed at a round table to mark compostable green waste bags this way. The FOEN also points to the municipal waste guide: not every municipality accepts food waste with green waste; where it does, food waste can go in loose or in degradable bags.
- City of Zurich: compostable bags without a grid print do not belong in the biowaste, because they look like ordinary waste and are not recognised at collection. Exception: biowaste bags with a grid print.
- Lucerne region (REAL): white compostable bags of 5, 9 and 16 litres certified to EN 13432 or EN 14995 and printed with a grid are accepted. Bags without the grid are sorted out at the plants.
- Canton of Geneva: recommends a 7-litre compostable bag used with the ventilated "P'tite Poubelle Verte" caddy. To recognise a suitable bag, the canton lists the OK COMPOST INDUSTRIAL or HOME labels, the Seedling label, EN 13432 and the printed grid. It also notes that oxo-degradable bags have not been permitted since 1 April 2022.
Germany: what the Biowaste Ordinance requires
Since 1 May 2025, biowaste may contain no more than 0.5 % plastic before treatment, or 1.0 % if it comes from household biowaste bins, according to the Federal Environment Ministry. These control values are aimed at plant operators, who must check deliveries and remove foreign matter. For households and businesses, the ministry's message is clear: plastic products do not belong in the biowaste bin, even if they are advertised as biodegradable.
Annex 1 of the Biowaste Ordinance (BioAbfV) allows three kinds of collection aids: kitchen paper and newspaper in small amounts; paper collection bags, including those with natural wax or certified compostable coatings; and compostable plastic bags – but only if they meet all four conditions:
- certified to DIN EN 13432 or DIN EN 14995;
- made predominantly from renewable raw materials;
- fully disintegrated after no more than six weeks of composting;
- labelled according to Annex 5: a white-green bag printed all over with the "Keimling" seedling logo and mandatory text boxes, including the notice that it may only be used where the local authority permits it.
The local public waste authority can set stricter rules. Berlin's municipal waste company BSR, for example, does not accept bioplastic bags because its digestion plant cannot distinguish them from ordinary plastic, and recommends paper bags instead.
Austria: preferably no bags – and if so, the right ones
Austria's official public-services portal puts the basic rule this way: biogenic waste should go into the biowaste bin without plastic bags, and where possible without bags made of paper or certified biodegradable plastic too. Collection is the responsibility of the municipality – in Vienna, the MA 48. The state of Lower Austria adds that certified bioplastic bags only make sense when the biowaste bin is used as well and the bag is used more than once – for example a bag first used to keep fruit, vegetables or bread fresh, then for kitchen waste. Graz's municipal utility offers compostable paper bags for collecting food waste at home.
France: compulsory sorting and a closed list of bags
Since 1 January 2024, sorting biowaste at source has been compulsory in France for all households and all businesses. An order of 15 March 2022 lists exhaustively what may be collected with it. For collection bags, there are only two categories:
- bags made solely of paper or cardboard that meet the order's composition requirements;
- plastic bags that meet those requirements and the home-composting criteria of the order's Annex II – at least 90 % biodegradation within 365 days at around 25 °C, and no more than 10 % residue on a 2 mm sieve after 180 days. Bags that comply with the French standard NF T51-800 are presumed to meet them.
A transitional exception for EN 13432 plastic bags bought under existing public contracts ended on 31 December 2024. Each local authority still decides what it accepts: some take food waste only loose or in kraft paper bags. France's environment agency ADEME also notes that in practice plastic bags are generally removed, because the composting time of biowaste is not always compatible with that of the bags.
The four countries at a glance
| Question | Switzerland | Germany | Austria | France |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who decides? | Municipality, depending on the treatment plant | Federal ordinance sets the frame, local authority decides | Municipality | National order sets the list, local authority decides |
| Paper bags | Depends on municipality | Allowed | Preferably no bag | Allowed if compliant |
| Compostable plastic bags | Depends; Zurich and Lucerne only with grid print | Only with EN 13432/14995, six-week proof, Annex 5 label and local approval | Preferably none; sensible when reused | Only if home-compostable (NF T51-800 presumed compliant) |
| Oxo-degradable bags | Not permitted in Geneva since 1 April 2022 | Foreign matter | Plastic, not allowed | Not on the list, so excluded |
Checklist for businesses, hotels and municipalities
- Check the rule at every site. A hotel group with properties in Zurich, Munich, Vienna and Lyon faces four different rules.
- Choose the permitted material: paper, compostable film or loose collection.
- Ask for proof: a verifiable certificate number; for Germany, written confirmation of the six-week proof and the Annex 5 label; for France, compliance with the 2022 order or NF T51-800; for Switzerland, the grid print where required.
- Match size and strength to the bin. Wet kitchen waste needs a heavier film or a star-sealed base.
- Plan realistic quantities and ask about recommended storage – compostable bags are a consumable.
- Tell staff and customers. Clear signage at the bin makes the difference. Geneva's Pharmacie des Eaux-Vives uses signage to explain that its compostable checkout bag can be reused for kitchen waste.
Which size for which use?
| Use | Volume | Suitable bag |
|---|---|---|
| Kitchen caddy in offices, shops, hotel rooms or homes | 7 litres | EcoCompobag 7L on a roll, BioWaste 7L Extra Resist with star-sealed base, or the Compost Kit with the P'tite Poubelle Verte |
| Restaurant, canteen or care-home kitchens | 35 to 75 litres | BioWaste Resist 35L, BioWaste Resist 75L |
| Wheelie bins at hotels, buildings or municipal services | 120 to 240 litres | BioWaste 120L, BioWaste Resist 140L, BioWaste 240L |
| Containers and collection points | 800 litres | BioWaste 800L |
The ventilated P'tite Poubelle Verte lets air circulate, which prevents premature fermentation and odours – the reason Geneva recommends pairing a ventilated caddy with a 7-litre bag. See every format in our range of compostable trash bags.
What BioApply bags bring
BioApply has made compostable packaging for businesses since 2006, from its headquarters in Lausanne. Our food waste bags are:
- certified to EN 13432, the EU standard for industrial compostability, and OK Compost / OK Home Compost certified;
- free of polyethylene and GMOs, with no heavy metals in the inks;
- manufactured in Europe;
- fully traceable by QR code through the supply chain, on the Respect Code platform;
- customisable with your branding or your municipality's print.
Reuse is possible: Migros Vaud has used OK-compostable bags at its checkouts since 1 November 2013, and customers can reuse them for kitchen waste afterwards. More on the principle in Waste sorting: why choose compostable bags.
Because the rules differ from one municipality and collector to the next, tell us your site and your waste collector when you enquire. We check with you, before you order, which version of the bag is accepted there.
Frequently asked questions
Are compostable bags allowed in food waste bins?
It depends on where you are. In Switzerland, the municipality decides; Zurich and Lucerne require a grid print, Geneva recommends a certified 7-litre bag. In Germany, only certified bags with the Annex 5 label, and only if the local authority allows them. Austria recommends collecting without bags where possible. In France, only paper bags or home-compostable plastic bags that meet the 2022 order.
Is EN 13432 certification enough?
Not everywhere. EN 13432 proves industrial compostability. Germany additionally requires six-week disintegration and a specific label, France requires home-composting performance for plastic bags, and Swiss municipalities such as Zurich require a grid print.
How long does a compostable bag take to break down?
EN 13432 requires disintegration within twelve weeks in industrial composting. Germany's Biowaste Ordinance requires six weeks for bags used in biowaste bins. In a garden compost heap it depends on temperature and moisture, and is only reliably tested for bags with a home-compost certification.
Can compostable bags go on a home compost heap?
Only if they are certified for home composting, for example OK compost HOME. A bag certified only for industrial composting breaks down much more slowly at the lower temperatures of a garden heap.
Do compostable bags help against smells and flies?
A bag on its own does not; the combination does. A ventilated caddy with a compostable bag keeps food waste drier and delays the fermentation that causes odours – the principle behind Geneva's recommendation. Empty the caddy often, keep the lid closed and keep outdoor bins in the shade in summer.
Sources
- Federal Office for the Environment FOEN/BAFU: "Biokunststoff – alles abbaubar?"
- City of Zurich: "Bioabfall"
- REAL Lucerne: "Grüngut"
- Republic and Canton of Geneva: "Quel sac utiliser ?"
- Swiss Recycle: "Grüngut"
- German Biowaste Ordinance (BioAbfV), Annex 1 and Annex 5
- German Federal Environment Ministry: "Weniger Kunststoffe im Bioabfall ab Mai 2025"
- BSR Berlin: "Änderung der Bioabfallverordnung zum 01.05.2025"
- oesterreich.gv.at: "Bioabfall"
- State of Lower Austria: "Kompostierbarkeit von Biokunststoffsackerl"
- Holding Graz: "Bioabfall"
- Légifrance: Order of 15 March 2022 on compostable packaging and waste collected with biowaste
- info.gouv.fr: "Biodéchets : le tri devient obligatoire"
- ADEME: "Les limites des emballages en plastique compostables"
- Roannais Agglomération: "Biodéchets"
- AVAG: "Was gehört ins Grüngut – und was nicht?"
Switching a business, a municipality or several sites to compostable food waste bags? Contact us – tell us your site and we'll check which version is accepted there.