CREATE A WAVE OF CHANGE NOW
Compostable Bags, Bin Liners and Gloves
If you’re running a food service or doing business transactions, you need to consider a complete transition to using compostable products, especially in packaging. This is worth considering if you want environmentally conscious people to keep on buying your products and engaging in your business.
Going green definitely matters in the world of business. Today, more customers value healthy environmental practices more than anything.
So, what are the benefits of utilising compostable bags and other products in your business? Why are a significant number of business owners looking forward to switching and using these products? Let’s find out.
WHY CHOOSE BONNIE BIO
Living in a more eco-friendly world is something we all want to experience, and we would love to witness it happening before the start of the next generation. Using compostable packaging products plays an important role to ensure the dream is fulfilled.
Bonnie Bio strives to make a difference with our internationally certified compostable plastic alternatives. All of our products are made from natural ingredients with no harsh chemical additives to ensure safety and non-toxicity. Check out our page for more details.
It’s never too late to transition to compostable products. Start now.
WHY BONNIE BIO IS HERE
Around 165 million tonnes of petroleum-based plastic has found its way into our oceans, with an estimated 8 million tonnes being added each year. Research shows that up to 50% of plastic is used only once and then thrown away and that we’re only recycling 9% of the plastic we’re using. Traditional petroleum-based plastic not only takes up to 500 years to decompose but also leaches toxic chemicals into the environment while decomposing. We are slowly ruining our planet and it’s time to change this.
Bonnie Bio wants to make a difference. We believe that the use of our certified compostable products will contribute to the sustainability of the planet for our current and future generations by offering alternative options to petroleum-based plastics, without compromising the useful need for plastic-type materials. Our products are toxin-free & environmentally kind.
ABOUT BONNIE BIO
Bonnie Bio is a worldwide leading brand that manufactures a wide range of compostable products that are an environmentally responsible alternative to plastic products. We offer a range of compostable products that includes garbage bags in various sizes, gloves and more for both home use and in commercial applications.
Our aim is to make a difference with our internationally certified compostable plastic alternatives which are all made from natural ingredients with no chemical additives to ensure non-toxicity and allow for complete composting and biodegradability.
Our products are designed to break down back into CO2, water and biomass, which are renewable resources and they don’t leach any toxins into the ground whilst breaking down back into the earth.
CORN STARCH PLA PRODUCTS EXPLAINED
As the name implies, our Bonnie Bio compostable products are made from corn starch. PLA (Polyactic Acid) is typically made from the sugars in corn starch, cassava or sugarcane. It is biodegradable, carbon-neutral and edible. To transform corn into plastic, corn kernels are immersed in sulfur dioxide and hot water, where its components break down into starch, protein, and fiber.
The starch is comprised of long chains of carbon molecules, similar to the carbon chains in plastic from fossil fuels. Biodegradable plastics take three to six months to decompose fully. That’s much quicker than synthetic counterparts that can take several hundred years. Exactly how long a biodegradable product takes to break down depends on various factors, such as temperature, the amount of moisture and oxygen present.
PRODUCT QUALITY
Put simply, you won’t be able to tell the difference! Our Bonnie Bio corn starch compostable products deliver just like petroleum-based plastic but they decompose like paper. The best of both worlds and for our planet! Within 3-6 months, 90% of Bonnie Bio’s certified compostable corn starch PLA plastic alternatives will decompose, without any toxins leaching into the earth. Our products look, feel and deliver like traditional plastic, without the lengthy decomposition rate.
COMPOSTABLE vs BIODEGRADABLE
What is the Difference?
The term ‘Biodegradable’ often refers to plastics to which additives were added, for it to more rapidly disintegrate in landfill or natural environments. However this process can still take many years but what is more troubling is that it leaves toxic residue or micro-plastics in the environment, posing a danger to humans and animals.
‘Composting’ on the other hand, is a form of waste disposal where an organic material is able to decompose naturally under oxygen and microbe-rich conditions and back into natural elements such as biomass, water and CO2 without leaching any toxins into the environment during the decomposition process. The benefit of this is that not only does the material not end up in landfill but when turned into compost, can help fertilise plants and vegetation.
Thus it holds true that Bonnie Bio’s certified ‘Compostable’ products are significantly better and more environmentally friendly than other similar competing ‘Biodegradable’ products.
COMPOSTABILITY STANDARDS
There are different compostability standards to help you determine the necessary conditions required for products to decompose as well as how long you can expect it to take. In Australia, there are two standards for compostable products: AS 4736 for Industrial Compostability; and AS 5810 for Home Compostable.
In Australia, for a plastic material to be certified as compostable, it must comply with the AS 4736-2006 standard. This standard provides the criteria against which plastics materials that are to be biodegraded in industrial anaerobic composting facilities, are assessed. Industrial composting facilities are able to process organic waste at high temperatures that cannot be replicated in the home (50°C or higher), thus accelerating the rate at which the waste decomposes. Therefore, just because something has been certified for the AS 4736-2006 standard, does not mean it will decompose in the same way in a home compost system!
For a plastic material to be certified to the AS 5810-2010 home compostability standard, it must undergo stringent testing conducted by recognised and accredited third-parties. Due to the differences between a home compost system and industrial compost facilty, the testing period for this standard is a maximum of 12 months however, the end results remain the same as the AS 4736-2006 standard. That means a minimum of 90% biodegredation, no toxic effect to compost, plants and earthworms and materials should contain more than 50% organic material.
The AS 5810-2010 standard is preferred as industrial compost facilities are still uncommon, therefore it is best to ensure your product can be disposed of easily in the home.
Frequently asked questions
What are your products made of?
We use corn starch to manufacture Bonnie Bio’s products. The end result is biodegradable, compostable, carbon-neutral and edible. The starch is comprised of long chains of carbon molecules, similar to the carbon chains in plastic from fossil fuels.
What is the shelf life in store?
Bonnie Bio products are durable and hardy, with the same exceptional qualities of plastic. In fact, you’d be hard pressed to tell the difference. In store, our products won’t start decomposing for 12 – 18 months, and even longer if kept cool and dry.
How quickly will your products decompose?
How quickly our product degrades is totally reliant on the environmental conditions such as temperature, the amount of moisture and oxygen present. Biodegradable plastics like Bonnie Bio take anywhere from 3-6 months to decompose fully. That’s much quicker than synthetic counterparts that take several hundred years. With all biodegradable and compostable materials, an oxygen-rich environment plays a part.
How should I dispose of your products?
Whilst our corn starch material will decompose in an open or turned landfill, or within your home composting bin, please be mindful of what you place inside our bags as this may not be biodegradable or compostable.
Are your products home compostable?
Yes, our products can be thrown in your home compost bin along with your kitchen and garden waste. It typically takes between 40–90 days for our corn starch packaging to decompose in the right conditions.
Please do be mindful that whilst our Multipurpose Bags are compostable, what you put in them may not be.
