DRAFT FAQ

It’s our mission to provide readily available, eco-friendly products for the everyday family. We believe that every bit helps and that Kiwi’s want to contribute to this cause, but often can’t find the products or have to go somewhere special to source them.

Bags & Liners - FAQ’s

What bag sizes do you have?
8L (kitchen caddy size), 35L (pull out kitchen bin size), 75L, 140L (small council wheelie bin), 240L (large council wheelie bin), Doggie bags and re-usable botanic bags (grocery bag). We can also supply custom sizes and printing, POA. 

What micron (thickness) are your bags and liners?
18-20 micron, but this varies based on each product type.

How long do your bags or liners take to break down in a home compost?
90 days under the right composting conditions (heat, moisture and oxygen).

Are the food-safe?
Yes, and great for keeping fresh produce and freezing meats.

What certifications do your bags have
Certified under Australian Standard (AS4736-2006), the European Standard (EN13432-2000) and the American Standard (ASTM D6400). Home compostable standard AS5810.

Can they be recycled?
No, they are not suitable for recycling or soft plastics recycling.

What about micro-plastics?
Our bags no not break down into micro plastics – they break down to a non-toxic earth matter. 

How do I store them?
Store in a cool, dry draw or pantry. As these bags are designed to breakdown they have a 12-15 months shelf life.

What is the difference between commercial and home compostable certification?
Home compostable standard is harder to get as home composts vary in conditions.

Can your bags be used in a worm farm?
Yes, depending on the conditions they should breakdown just as easily in a worm form. They are non-toxic so safe for your worms. They have passed the Australian Worm Test Standard AS4736-2006, which is the most stringent of all worldwide compostability standards.

Can you bags be used in an eco-toilet?
Depends on the composting conditions.

Do you wholesale?
Yes, please contact us for more info.

Can you replace your pre-paid council bag?
No, they don’t replace the prepaid council bags. If you use those for your weekly collection you will have to stick with them unfortunately - the council may update to wheelie bins at some point. Maybe the smaller bags are of some use instead - kitchen tidy or food scrap caddy bag for composting. 

What are they made of & where are they made?
Our bags are made with corn starch and BASF natural resin (and plant based inks / colours). We use corn as it's a naturally renewable crop and unlike trees, it can grow and be harvested in a single season. The actual crops are sourced from international GMO-free regions with high levels of rain, to minimise any irrigation. In addition, the actual corn kernels selected are classified as third grade corn. This spoilt corn is not suitable for human or animal consumption, so even the animals don’t miss out! Our bags made by an Australian company, so you can rest assured that their factory operates to our standards (their factory is in China). 

Do the biodegradable bags break down if they end up in our oceans and how long does this take?
Yes, but conditions do need to be right for them to biodegrade fully - like warm water and light. How long would depend on these conditions. The ocean moves and changes so creates variability.

Questions about landfill
Landfills are actually designed so nothing is meant to breakdown (not a banana skin, newspaper or compostable / biodegradable products). However, it all depends on the conditions and time it takes to move and bury rubbish. We have one Polish study which in fact shows our bags do breakdown at a faster rate than other materials - however we can’t comment on each landfill due to its own processes and design.

So what’s the point if you can’t compost them?

• Not made from plastic - which we know remains FOREVER
• Not made from a non-renewable source or fossil fuels intensive process
• Not supporting plastic bag sales - the big ones or small ones
• They can biodegrade if they enter the environment (under the right conditions) = less plastic litter - which we know is a massive problem right now (not everything you send to landfill stays there, especially the soft plastic type which can blow away easily)
• Are made from an organic material (and uses microbes to breakdown back to earth in the right conditions
• You can compost them at home or with scrap collections
• In a perfect world nothing would go to landfill, we don’t like the thought of burying plastic or anything unnatural... 

40% of household rubbish that goes to landfill is food scraps. 10% garden waste. Great incentives to start composting! Composting is moving forward…

• There are trials happening now with a 3 bin system in Auckland where a roadside caddy is supplied for food scraps and the household pays for general waste bins that go to landfill (our bags can be used to line these caddy’s - people will have to buy them as it’s unlikely they will be supplied by council)
• Composting is pinned as the way forward according to the councils/waste management
• BYO is becoming more popular – bags, cups and even Sushi box's. People are becoming more aware of the problem in NZ
• Paper bags - are a better option to plastic but require cutting down trees and leave a large fossil fuel footprint (in the manufacturing process and the recycling process)
• The greater demand for compostables = composting facilities set up

Bags & Liners - Bins