I have a dirty secret. It's literally dirty because it involves my garbage.
For years, I've been using plastic bags to line the trash bins in my kitchen and bathroom.
Plastic bags! I mean, if God were doing the whole 10 plagues thing today, he'd probably find a way to include plastic bags somewhere between hail and locusts.
It's not like I was buying the plastic bags - I was just reusing the ones I brought home from the grocery store, the drugstore and other miscellaneous places. I wanted to break the habit and get a reusable tote (like this one we featured a couple of weeks ago from Timberland), but then I didn't know what to use in the trash can at home...
But now I've seen the light. (The CFL light, naturally.) I should have been using BioBags all along.
These 100% biodegradable, 100% compostable bags contain no polyethylene (chemical numero uno in the aforementioned plastic shopping bag).
Where plastic bags can take 100, 500 or even 1000 years to decompose, BioBag says that its bags break decompose in just 10 to 40 days in a municipal composting environment.
There's another big difference. From what I understand (largely from reading Alan Weisman's excellent The World Without Us), plastic bags and other plastic objects often just degrade into tiny pieces of plastic. It's not really clear how long it will take for these microscopic plastic granules to ever 'go away'.
BioBag's ingredient list, on the other hand, includes starch, vegetable oil and other renewable resources. BioBagUSA reports that its bags are certified by the Biodegradable Products Institute and that they meet new California legal standards for biodegradable and compostable plastic.
And just to make you feel even better about BioBagging it, BioBags also claim to be GMO-free and certified for use in organic agriculture. Heck, they say that even the inks and dyes on the bags are soy-based.
Thanks to Katy Layton of PetFinder.com for bringing BioBag to our attention. As Katy pointed out, BioBag makes bags perfect for picking up after your pooch or lining your cat's litter pan.
BioBag makes others specifically for kitchen trash, leaves and lawn trimmings,
Where to buy:
Many online retailers carry BioBag products. BioBags can also be found at many natural food stores nationwide and will soon be available in Petco stores nationwide.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Kitchen / Bath / Home / Pet - BioBag
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5 comments:
Thanks for this post - figure I use 2 little plastic bags a day, every day, for our dog. BioBag sounds perfect.
They would get a multiplier effect if they got stores to use them (since I mostly just re-use plastic bags I have gotten from a store). Any idea if they are trying to get businesses to use them?
Nate
Thanks for the comment Nate.
Yep, BioBag should be great for picking up after your dog.
I've sent a question to the company asking if any stores use BioBags for purchases. My guess is that BioBags are probably not distributed with purchases based on cost issues (regular plastic bags are probably cheaper). But perhaps stores could charge a small premium for BioBags.
In the meantime, you could use a reusable organic cotton bag to carry home purchases from the store.
I'll be profiling one such bag (http://www.beleaf.com/) in a few weeks...
- Aaron Dalton, 1GreenProduct.com
Update - According to my source, BioBags are used at hundreds of retailers and restaurants. I've asked if there's any way to get a list of participating retailers/restaurants, but have not yet received a response. If I find anything out, I'll post it here...
Thanks for reading and commenting!
- Aaron Dalton, 1GreenProduct.com
These sound great, but they cost twice as much as regular trash bags available at the grocery store. That's one of the problems with many things "green," they cost a lot more than the things they are designed to replace. Those living within a budget often can't afford to to the right thing even if they want to.
Dear richpix,
Thanks for your comment!
I agree that Green products are often - though not always - more expensive.
I believe that some of the cost can be justified by the fact that the manufacturers of Green products are often experimenting with new technologies or trying to achieve the economies of scale that will allow them to lower prices.
But I really do sympathize on the issue of cost regarding the BioBags. As someone who previously got plastic bags from the store and then reused them as trash bags (i.e. free trash bags!), it's been a bit of a mental stretch to use an organic cotton shopping bag and then buy biodegradable bags.
That said, I do believe we all should do our part - as much as our finances will allow - to live greener, cleaner lives.
Don't beat yourself up if you can't afford to buy the BioBags. Instead, look for other areas of your life where you can make green choices - like switching from bottled water to tap water - that will also save you money!
Thanks for reading and for caring about these issues!
- Aaron Dalton, 1GreenProduct.com
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