compostability

Increase your turnover by supporting products that are better for the environment and empowering your customers

compostability
compostability

compostability

Increase your turnover by supporting products that are better for the environment and empowering your customers

Are you using compostable products already?

Did you know most compostable products on the market (e.g. biocups) are only commercially compostable and need specific processing to become compost?

Although they are “made of plant” and include the word “compostable”, unless you collect them and take them to a composting facility via your FOGO*/green bin (if accepted), they will end up in landfill and behave in the same way as traditional plastic. 

Research shows that only 0.13% of commercially compostable packaging are correctly disposed of, and recovered through a composting facility. 

We are changing this with products that do not require industrial composting.

In Australia,
0 out of 536 Councils

offer a FOGO* collection service.

australia 1

But only

0

 accept compostable packaging! 

*Food Organics and Garden Organics Kerbside Collection
Source: Compost Connect latest Media Release (July 22) and Australian Local Government Association 

960x600 coffee cups

Each of our innovative solutions has been strictly selected for its quality, its user experience and compostable end-of-life. To meet these standards, we follow a diligent process. 

  1. We research, lots of research.
  2. We check manufacturers/brands home compostable certifications.
  3. We run different composting tests.
  4. We visit hospitality businesses and ask for professional feedback.

That way, your customers have the best experience and you see them more often!

960x600 coffee cups

Each of our innovative solutions has been strictly selected for its quality, its user experience and compostable end-of-life. To meet these standards, we follow a diligent process. 

  1. We research, lots of research.
  2. We check manufacturers/brands home compostable certifications.
  3. We run different composting tests.
  4. We visit hospitality businesses and ask for professional feedback.

That way, your customers have the best experience and you see them more often!

“The great thing about the home compostable certification is it guarantees products break down in a few months, no matter where it ends up! As my council doesn’t offer a green bin kerbside collection service that accepts packaging, I switched to Compostable Alternatives products. My customers have never been so supportive and love how easy it is to do things right by the environment. They are also spreading the word for me and I have more traffic!” Ollie, Cafe Owner

Compostability explained: our badges of sustainability

Sustainability is as important to us as it is to you. Let’s have a better understanding at certifications, degradability, and materials used in our products. Read more about the different types of compostable packaging in this article!

Materials

Materials

Raw

Natural plant material with no transformation, just the way it is in nature.

Transformed

Materials that have been transformed through a process.

Bagasse

The dry pulpy fibrous material that remains after crushing sugarcane stalks to extract their juice.

Bio-based

Made from renewable sources, not fossil fuels

FSC Recycled Paper

FSC certified 100% post-consumer recycled paperboard.

PLA

Polylactic acid, or polylactide. A polymer made from the extraction of plants' sugar like corn (mostly), sugarcane, beet, potatoes, wheat, maize or tapioca.

PHA

Polyhydroxyalkanoates. A polymer produced in nature by bacterial fermentation of sugar or lipids. PHA is often used for medical applications and for single-use food packaging.

PBAT

Polybutyrate Adipate Terephthalate. A biodegradable binding agent that decomposes in home compost leaving no toxic residues. This ingredient is not bio-based yet but currently partly derived from petrochemicals.

Certifications

Home Compostable: Suitable for home compost systems typically under 30-35℃

Home compostable

ABA Home Compost

HOMECE2

Australasian certification for home compostable packaging

Australasian Bioplastics Association

OK Compost HOME

HOMECE1

European certification for home compostable packaging

TÜV AUSTRIA

DIN CERTCO Home Compostable

dincertco HC

European certification for home compostable packaging

TÜV Rhineland/ DIN CERTCO

Industrially Compostable: Suitable for industrial/commercial compost systems typically between 50-70℃. Check locally, as only about 25 (out of 71) organic recycling facilities accept compostable packaging (APCO 2021). Not suitable for backward composting.

Industrially compostable

ABA Compostable Industrial

Compostable Certifications

Australasian certification for commercially compostable packaging

Australasian Bioplastics Association

OK Compost Industrial

OK compost industrial

European certification for commercially compostable packaging

TÜV AUSTRIA

DIN CERTCO Industrial

dincertco IC

European certification for commercially compostable packaging

TÜV Rhineland/ DIN CERTCO

BPI Compostable

BPI commercially compostable

US certification for commercially compostable packaging

Biodegradable Products Institute

Degradability

Degradability

Compostable

Products that break down and return to nature within a short timeframe for the disintegration and biodegradation, with toxicity measurement with or without human intervention.

Commercially compostable

Products that break down only under specific conditions in a dedicated composting facility that includes human intervention. Disposal via authorised green organic waste streams is the only way they can access a facility. Independent State's legislations apply.

Home compostable

Products that break down with no human intervention within 12 to 24 weeks anywhere there are microorganisms and oxygen.

Biodegradable

Opposed to the term compostable, the product breaks down and return to nature with no timeframe, no human intervention and no toxicity measurement. Example: clothing, wood, food waste, etc.

Degradable

Can be broken down into tiny fragments or powder. Degradable does not mean the materials will ever return to nature. All plastics are degradable.

Photodegradable

Product that breaks down more readily in sunlight.

Oxo-degradable

A product that disintegrates more quickly when exposed to heat and light. This term does not mean the material will ever return to nature, it means it will degrade faster.

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Holiday Trading 2023

Compostable Alternatives will be trading as usual through the holiday season, closing only on public holidays: Monday 25th December to Tuesday 26th December. 

Please allow extra time for deliveries during this period. We recommend placing your pre-Christmas orders by Friday, 15th December, to avoid potential delays.

We are closed on Monday, 1st January 2024 (New Year’s Day).