Are Compostable Trash Bags Sustainable or is it Greenwashing?
This article was last updated May 2024.
Are compostable bags sustainable or is it greenwashing?
Welcome to “Sustainable or Greenwashing” series where I’m sharing if brands and products are actually what they say they are.
Compostable bags come in two main formats - sandwich bags and trash bags. Obviously there are a lot of brands out there - but for this we’re going to focus on HoldOn bags. HoldOn is a B Corp, and packaging is FSC certified & fully recyclable, I also love how HoldOn partners with local groups for community cleanups.
The bags are made from 4 main plant based ingredients (PBAT, PLA, Cornstarch, and Calcium Carbonate). They’re TUV Austria Certified home compostable (excluding the tall kitchen trash bags) and BPI Certified for industrial composting.
Let’s be honest though - you’re trash bags probably aren’t going to a composting facility - it’s probably going to end up in a landfill. So what happens then? From my research, decomposition of the bags will be slowed due to the lack of oxygen and there are some articles out there that say compostable plastics don’t break down the way you think they do. HOWEVER, I will say from personal experience I have seen the bags break down which leads me to think the HoldOn brand works. 👀
So are compostable trash bags sustainable or is it greenwashing?
Even if it doesn’t break down fully, switching from traditional plastic trash bags to a compostable trash bag DOES keep more plastic out of landfills - so in my eyes I think compostable bags ARE sustainable - but what do you think? 🚮
XOXO,
Krys
