Your Guide to Compostable Packaging

21 Jun, 2021

Australia is waking up to the damage single-use plastics cause to the environment.

As the plastic bag ban has moved across all nations, Australia is starting to pay more attention to single-use plastics in their everyday lives and demanding more from businesses!

If you don't know how the Single-use Plastics Ban will affect your business - read our last blog here!

At O’Kelly we stand for future friendly packaging solutions. This includes providing eco-friendly alternatives to single-use plastics.

With sustainability at the heart of our business, we promote embracing environmental credentials such as compostable solutions to help reduce the amount of plastics we and the wider community consume and to reduce landfill.

Types of Compostable Packaging Products

There are two types of compostable packaging products; Commercially Compostable or Home Compostable.

Commercially Compostable:

These products are made from plant based materials and are compostable in a commercial composting facility.

The plastic known as Polylactic Acid or PLA, used in products with the commercial compostable credentials is made from a plant based substance rather than oil. 

Products that fall into this category include products such as compostable coffee cups, PLA plastic cups and tubs.

Home Compostable:

Paper products that contain no plastic fall under the home compostable credential. 

Products such as paper bags and sugarcane packaging, cardboard trays and boxes that are made solely from paper, can be composted in a home compost bin. 

What can I put into my Compost Bin at home?

To build a good compost you will need a balance of carbon-containing ingredients, and nitrogen-containing ingredients (Approximately 30:1 Carbon to Nitrogen) [1]

Carbon or brown material include dry leaves, straw, and also your paper products such as egg cartons,  sugarcane packaging, or paper bags! Ensure you moisten (but not soak), and tear up the paper products. 

Nitrogen rich or green ingredients include lawn clippings, kitchen scraps, egg shells, tea bags and coffee grindings.

TIP: If your compost is too wet and sludgy it won’t break down. Mix through some paper bags or sugarcane packaging to absorb the liquid! [2]

Tips to Composting Packaging at home

- Ensure that your products are compostable - they need to be made from paper, or cardboard (this includes Sugarcane) with no plastic lining.

- Tear up, or shred the packaging into small pieces - to make it easier for the microorganisms to break down and turn into rich soil faster.

O’Kelly have taken the guess work out of enviro credentials and have developed a full range of sustainable food packaging solutions branded Zirrro. 

The range includes eco-friendly commercially compostable cups, and home compostable Sugarcane containers, paper bags and Kraft containers, just to name a few! (Browse the Zirro range here)

Become future friendly with O’Kelly and our eco-friendly Zirrro food packaging solutions by contacting us today.

[1] Source: Gardening Australia website: https://www.abc.net.au/gardening/

[2] For more information on composting read the fact sheet article from the abc here: (https://www.abc.net.au/gardening/factsheets/managing-compost/9430346)