FAQ

Often incorrectly used or confused, each of those terms represents a very special feature for a product. Reminder: the biodegradation of a product is the property to degrade completely and to be assimilated by natural active micro-organisms (bacteria, fungi, algae) without toxic substances.
Compostable also means to be biodegradable, however, the opposite is not always true !
Most of the man-made products require centuries to degrade and eventually leads to the secretion of poisonous substances in the environment, with irreparable damages. The biodegradation of a product varies according to its percentage of degradable particles and its speed. Therefore, it is necessary to be very critical when the product is presented as “biodegradable”. Some products biodegrade very well but many do not.
Amongst biodegradable products there is a further differentiating factor for those showing a higher quality namely “the compostability”. This category is designated as “compostable”. The special compostable packaging is regulated under the EU standard EN 13432, which states that 90% of its mass ought to degrade within a period of 6 months.
Four tests are required to meet this standard (ecological compatibility test, biodegradation test, physical resolution test, absence of heavy metals).
The sub-category of compostability is divided into 2 areas:

compostable in the private garden compost

« I am compostable in your private garden compost »

I am up to 100% made of plant or animal origin raw materials. I degrade as a result of compostability: The collection of compostable elements in the private garden compost has the aim of upgrading the waste.
There is no maximum time limit for the degradation in the private garden compost.

 

compostable in public/industrial composting facilities

« I am compostable in an industrial composting facility »

I meet the EN 13432 standard that states that 90% of my mass must degrade within a period of 12 weeks in an industrial composting facility.
With their OK COMPOST label BioApply products are guaranteed to degrade in 12 weeks in a public facility and in 15 days in a biomethane centre.

 

Made from vegetable, animal or marine material

« I am biobased »

means that I am made of plant, animal or marine origin raw materials. In BioApply all of them are guaranteed biodegradable.
Attention: it is important to pay attention to the percentage of the plant raw material component of a product. Too low content is not ecological at all. BioApply certified the quality of the plant raw material by its label “BioApply biodegradable solutions”. They are enhanced through its energy generation (electricity and heat) in combustion.

“I am recyclable” is defined as a product which raw materials can be recycled in a “biomethane – production” cycle: an industrial process that consists of a series of decomposition stages for organic matter leading to its transformation into biogas with methane as the main component while the biogas is converted into heat or electricity.

The biodegradability of a product is its quality to be completely decomposed and assimilated by nature through microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, algae) without producing toxic substances.

The compostability of a product is its ability to transform into compost. It can be our food and garden waste… which, after decomposition, turn into humus usable for cultivation.

Compostable also means biodegradable, but the opposite is not always true.

According to the printed label I can dispose of this carrier bag either in the industrial composting facility open to the public or in my private garden compost. The handling and regulation of waste can vary from community to community. Do contact the competent authority of your city or town. They would be glad to provide information about the sorting of waste.

No, they do not decompose. You should still ideally use them within 18 months.

You want to start sorting organic waste but do not know how to handle it ? Here is all you need to know to get started :
Start by getting a ventilated green bin for kitchen waste : La P’tite Poubelle Verte or BioBox are both available in our shop. Get rolls of compostable bags well suited for the green bins. You will fin EcoCompobag 7L in our store. Combined, they will insure an odorless and leakless process.
You may dispose of fruits & veggie waste, coffee, tea bags, food leftovers, bread… We recommend to dispose of the full bags once or twice weekly.
Once the bag is full, you may dispose of it in your garden compost or at the collection point for the industrial compost..

Should you have your own home compost, we recommend : Kitchen waste may be blended with garden waste. Once a week, ventilate & move the waste to let it breath.
The compost pile must be disposed of after 3 months. The compost obtained must be blended again. Handle the humidity if necessary. Well done !

EcoCompobags are perfectly suited for La P’tite Poubelle Verte or BioBox. You may collect organic waste, kitchen waste, without odors or leaks. 1 or 2 times a week, you may dispose of the EcoCompobag and its content in your garden compost or at the collection point for industrial compost.

Compost is the result of a complete composting process. From the fermentation and the action of the micro-organisms in the organic matter a soil known as humus or compost is produced. Rich in minerals and nutrients for plants, the compost can generally replace chemical fertilizers that are used in all crops: vegetables, fruit trees, flowers, grass and plants.

Yes, your carrier bag can be custom printed with the design of your choice. But in order to ensure that they can be certified as biodegradable and compostable according to standard EN 13432, the print area should cover max. 30%.

In Switzerland, the Swiss Compost Association recommends in addition the traditional white lattice or honeycomb print so that the bag can be reliably recognized as compostable.

They are manufactured in Switzerland and the EU (except Rebag). You can also scan the imprinted QR Code and will immediately know the origin of its raw material, the place of processing to delivery. You can also go online to respect-code.org to retrieve the information about the origin.

It consists of opaque colour (for example master batch) to give the carrier bag its desired base colour (white-opaque is the most commonly used opaque colour to produce a non-natural-transparent carrier bag). The used colours are certified as biodegradable and compostable.

Oxo-degradable carrier bags are plastic bags with an additional additive that accelerates the fragmentation (decomposition). Carrier bags that are disposed of in nature are indeed “invisible to the eyes”, but their poisonous microparticles remain in nature. It is impossible to remove these tiny particles that are poisonous to the flora and fauna, and ultimately make their way into the human body from the environment.

The oxo-degradable carrier bags are made of fossil raw material (crude oil) and are neither biodegradable nor compostable.

No. Wood, tapioca, corn-, wheat- or potato-starch are not obtained from food crops, but our raw materials come from industrial production areas.

Yes, it is just as resistant as plastic (PE).