Frequently Asked Questions
What are the Compostable Standards
There are different compostability and Biodegradability standards worldwide . The Europen standard EN13432 -2006 is the most widely recognized standard .The American standard is ASTM D 6400 and the Australian Standard is AS4736-2006 . The compostable product should meet all the requirement of EN13432 and other standards .
Compostable and biodegradable bags should completely decompose in an ideal composting environment in a given time frame and should not leave any halmful residues in the soil.
What is Composting ?
Composting is the process of breaking down organic waste by microbial digestion to create compost. For composting process to take place correct level of heat , water , oxygen should be available . There should be millions of small microbes consuming the waste and transform organic material into compost The term compostable means that a material is compatible with a composting process. The European standard EN 13432 has put down the characteristics a finished product must fulfill the following to get an organic recovery. Compostable means that a material.
- Biodegradable under composting conditions.
- Disintegrates completely in one composting. Cycle.
- Should not have toxic effects and does not release heavy metals over a given value into the compost
- Should not have negative effect on the composting process itself.
If a material is compostable it is considered as automatically biodegradable and can be recovered in a composting process and the word bio degradable is used with no proper meaning attached to it.
According to the European Standard EN 13432, a compostable material must have the following characteristics:
- Biodegradability, which is determined by measuring the actual conversion of the compostable material into carbon dioxide. The acceptance level is 90%, which must be reached in less than 6 months.
- Disintegrability, that is, the fragmentation and loss of visibility in the final compost . This is measured with a composting test (EN 14045). The test material is degraded, together with organic waste, for 3 months. After this time, the compost is sieved with a 2 mm sieve. The residues of test material with dimensions higher than 2 mm are considered as not having disintegrated. This fraction must be less than 10% of the initial mass.
- Absence of negative effects on the composting process. This is checked with a composting test.
- Low levels of heavy metals (below the predefined maximum values).
What is organic waste ?
- Organic waste is material that is biodegradable and comes from either a plant or animal. Organic waste is usually broken down by other organisms over time and may also be referred to as wet waste. Most of the time, it s made up of vegetable and fruit debris, paper, bones and human waste which quickly disintegrate.
- In an effort to keep the environment clean and safe, organic waste is preferred over items that can damage the earth and that do not disintegrate. For example plastic shopping bags and plastic water bottles take a long time to disintegrate – and leave their imprint in their wake.
Is compostable Bags Always biodegradable?
Naturplus is compostable and certified as OK COMPOST . This means the bag is also Biodegradable All Compostable bags are biodegradabe . Also this indicates that the compostable bags can be recovered in a compostable environment . Therefore a biodegradable material cannot automatically be considered to be compostable before proof of its compostability has been given according to existing standards (EN13432) If a product is certified by leading certifying organizations then these are biodegradable as well.
Is compostable Bags Always biodegradable?
Naturplus is compostable and certified as OK COMPOST . This means the bag is also Biodegradable All Compostable bags are biodegradabe . Also this indicates that the compostable bags can be recovered in a compostable environment . Therefore a biodegradable material cannot automatically be considered to be compostable before proof of its compostability has been given according to existing standards (EN13432) If a product is certified by leading certifying organizations then these are biodegradable as well.
Is Natureplus home compostable?
Yes . Home compostability is entirely different from industrial compostability . Home composting bins are managed by households and the composting conditions would change might not always be ideal . Naturplus is been used by households and these would gets composted but would take about 12/13 months to complete the cycle .Generally home composting would take 12 months and in an industrial compostable situation bags would gets composted within 180 days .
Will Naturplus bags biodegrade on the shelf?
No. naturplus products will not biodegrade on the shelf.as this will happen only in a compost environment in the presence of micro-organisms, humidity and warmth.
What is Water Vapour Transmission
The WVTR (Water Vapour Transmission Rate) measures the transmission of water vapour through a material. according to the standard ASTM – E398. Using a bag with a high WVTR rate gives an important weight reduction of organic food waste due to the loss of water vapour. This reduces the growth of fungus which also reduces unpleasant smell dramatically Naturplus compostable bag has a high WVTR . A thinner compostable bag would have a higher WVTR .This means a higher comfort in hygiene products , reduce smell , reduce the weight of waste in the Bin can use less bags if compostable bags are used instead of the normal polythene bag.