Have you noticed more compostable bags lining supermarket shelves? More are recognizing that composting is one of the best things we could do for our environment—but only if it’s done correctly. There are more compostable and biodegradable trash bags than ever before, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that all of these products will quickly and easily break down in a backyard compost heap.
Let’s take a better look at the best compostable bags and the most eco-friendly way to dispose of them. We’ll explore the following topics and bag options:
Table of contents
- Do compostable bags break down in landfills? Are they really compostable?
- Are biodegradable bags compostable?
- Our top picks for compostable bags
- 4 best compostable ziplock and other food storage bags
- 4 best compostable kitchen bags
- 4 best compostable mailers and shopping bags
- Try Lomi - a convenient way to compost at home
If you’ve put compostable waste bags in your compost bin, you may have noticed a difference in how they degrade compared to food waste. So, are compostable bags really compostable? Better yet, is compostable plastic actually compostable? When certified, the answer is yes—but with a few caveats.
This article will guide you to the most sustainable compostable trash bags and how to dispose of them for minimal environmental impact.
Do compostable bags break down in landfills? Are they really composable?
Compostable bags are designed to break down in a compost setting. This means that certain heat, oxygen, moisture, and microorganism conditions support the decomposition process. While this means that compostable bags are, in fact, compostable, a landfill is NOT a suitable place for them to decompose.
Actually, most compostable bags are designed for industrial composting, where all of these conditions are optimized so that the compostable bags break down in roughly two to six months. Unfortunately, many households don’t have access to these composting facilities—which is where the Lomi comes in.
Lomi kitchen composter is a smell free, mess free way to keep compostable material—including bags—out of landfills. In fact, it uses some of the same conditions you would find in an industrial composting facility! The smart composter looks great atop a kitchen countertop. With just the press of a button, it can handle many compostable bags, transforming them into nutrient-rich dirt!
Are biodegradable bags compostable?
Before we continue, we must elaborate on a few popular terms: biodegradable vs compostable. It’s important to realize that “biodegradable” does not mean the same thing as “compostable”.
Biodegradable materials require biological processes, like fungi and bacteria that enable life (bio) to break down (degrade). This will return the materials to their natural elements, BUT it can take decades, or even centuries to do so.
Generally speaking, everything is degradable—if you give biological processes long enough to work their magic. Compared with conventional plastics, biodegradable products are a better choice for our environment as they don’t take as long to decompose, if given the right environmental factors (read: not an anaerobic landfill).
Compostable products, on the other hand, also require a specific environment to break down (like mentioned earlier). However, compared to biodegradable products, they’ll be degradable in a far quicker period of time.
Also, unlike biodegradable products, those that are compostable are made with organic materials and are designed to not leave any toxic residue behind as they degrade (like microplastics).
So, if you want to take out the garbage while supporting a sustainable future, compostable bags are a superior choice to biodegradable bags. To give you a hand, we’ve put together a list of our favorite compostable bags.
The best news? Many of these bags are Lomi approved products, which means they can be composted by the kitchen countertop composter!
Our top picks for compostable bags
To take care of waste in a way that’s better for our world, we’d recommend these five versions of planet-friendly packaging.
- Best compostable kitchen bags: Repurpose Compostable Tall Kitchen Bag
- Best compostable ziplock bags: BioBag Resealable Sandwich Bags
- Best compostable produce bags: BioBag Small 3 Gallon Food Scrap Bag
- Best compostable shopping bags: INVISIBLEBAG Transparent Garment Bag
- Best compostable mailers: The Better Packaging Co. ComPOST Pack
There’s more where that came from! Continue reading for more affordable, helpful, and sustainable ways to pack, fill, and carry.
4 best compostable ziplock and other food storage bags
We’d love to (zip)lock up plastic-based food storage bags and throw away the key! These fossil buel-based bags are awful for the environment—even if they do provide a convenient way to carry packed lunches, coffee, and trail mix.
Fortunately, compostable food storage bags are providing a better alternative. Even better, these ones can go into your Lomi.
1. BioBag Resealable Sandwich Bags
Eco-friendly eating has never been easier, thanks to BioBag. The brand’s resealable sandwich, food storage bags, and snack bags are made from plants and vegetable oils—making them 100% compostable.
And just because they can be sent to a compost facility, it doesn’t mean they’re not sturdy. You can fill these bags with work lunches, leftovers, and on-the-go snacks. They’re suitable for all types of food, including acids and fat.
Don’t have commercial composting near you? No worries; these can go in your Lomi instead. Check out our test results to see how they break down!
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2. Elevate Transparent Block Bottom Bag
Zero waste coffee can be hard to come by—but not with Elevate! Their transparent block bottom bags are perfect for coffee, as they have a vent, flat bottom, and superior oxygen and moisture barrier. They can be stored in cool and warm conditions and are even freezer-friendly.
Unlike the paper bags usually used for coffee (which are lined with plastic), all components of these ones are 100% compostable.
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3. Simply Clean Compostable Gallon Bags
Simply Clean also makes compostable food storage bags. Though their original purpose is for preserving food, they can also be used for trash. They’re only one gallon, but they’re strong, durable, and easy to take with you. A standout feature of this product is that you can drop it into Lomi when you’re finished with it. The composter will fully break down your bag in less than a day.
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4. Compostic Home Compostable Resealable Sandwich Bags
Breaking down faster than an orange peel, these resealable gallon bags can be home composted, breaking down in just 12-24 weeks! They’re ASTM D6400 certified to be home compostable and will break down even quicker in an industrial compost facility. They come in compostable packaging printed with soy and water-based inks, too.
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4 best compostable kitchen bags
What’s better than the best kitchen trash can? One that’s lined with a compostable trash bag, of course! The following compostable and biodegradable garbage bags may not necessarily make trash day any less stinky, but they are making it more sustainable!
5. Repurpose Compostable Tall Kitchen Bag
They may be light on our planet, but these trash bags are tough enough to avoid tearing. Through home composting, they’re designed to degrade within 12 months, and just 180 days in commercial composting facilities.
Suitable for bathroom or office waste, they also have a Small Bin Bag (3 gal). Check out these test results to see how thoroughly these bags broke down in the Lomi instant kitchen composter!
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6. Full Circle Home Tall Kitchen Bag
Trash day can become zero waste day when Full Circle is involved. Their compostable bin liners are designed for maximum strength (read: leak proof and resistant to tearing). They even have a tough drawstring!
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7. BioBag Small 3 Gallon Food Scrap Bag
As one of the most eco-friendly products to have on hand as you begin your home composting journey, these bags hold your food scraps until they’re ready to go into the compost bin. Then, they can be tossed right in with the stored food scraps!
While you’re at the grocery store, you can also use these as carry bags for your produce. Since they’re made with non-GMO materials, you won’t have to worry when they touch the food from your favorite organic market.
Made with plant starch and other compostable bio-based materials and polymers, these bags can be commercially composted and are degradable through backyard home composting, too.
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8. UNNI 100% Compostable Bags 13 Gallon
These garbage bags are thicker than many of the alternatives, which helps to keep odors at bay. They fit well in conventional trash cans and are easy to tie. You might just want to be careful with lots of liquids, because they’re not totally leak-proof.
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4 best compostable mailers and shopping bags
Top eco-friendly companies are stepping up their sustainability game by using compostable packaging as an alternative to plastic shipping mailers and shopping bags. Here are a few companies that have been Lomi tested and approved.
9. The Better Packaging Co. ComPOST Pack
Fully biodegradable and certified home compostable, these mailing satchels are a more sustainable way to ship. The black, white, and blue versions are stretchy—but also tear resistant. Even better, the larger sizes (TR) have two seals so that the mailers can be reused as a carry bag.
Toss them in your compost bin, worm farm, or bokashi bin and they’ll break down in 3-6 months. Put them in your Lomi and and you can expect to see the same as these before and after photos.
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10. Elevate Compostable Mailer
Incorporating all the benefits of conventional plastics and traditional shipping mailers, these ones are much gentler on the Earth! They won’t break, even when you fill them with books, soft goods, apparel, and more.
For a shop purchase, Elevate also has compostable cellophane bags and transparent compostable flat pouches (suitable for spices, jewelry, cosmetics, etc.). You can even top them off with one of their sunflower sugarcane stickers or compostable round stickers!
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11. INVISIBLEBAG Transparent Garment Bag
Sustainable fashion just got a lot more sustainable with #INVISIBLEBAG. This company makes garment bags, white shopping bags, and black mailer bags that are water-soluble, landfill biodegradable, non-toxic, and compostable.
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12. Tipa Resealable Bag
Using home compostable, transparent single-ply film, Tipa is revolutionizing the way garments are packaged and mailed. These bags are a great alternative to polybags and different sizes and thicknesses are available.
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Try Lomi - a convenient way to compost at home
Conventional bags made with petroleum are a big environmental no-no. But their compostable alternatives really only contribute to sustainability when the right composting method is used.
We know that composting is worth the effort, but there are some caveats. For one, many bioplastics and biodegradable plastics aren’t as compostable as many people believe.
Also, for people who don’t have local industrial composting facilities nearby or have backyard compost bins without the optimal heat, oxygen, or microbial conditions, a bunch of compostable trash bags can end up turning into a slow-to-decompose mess.
Worse, compostable bags end up in landfills, they release methane like other garbage.
Lomi is here to change all of that. When it comes to all of the compostable materials that can go into Lomi, the list is long! In addition to food scraps, Lomi can Lomi approved bioplastics and non-food items like compostable bags, utensils, and packaging.
There’s really no better way to deal with a weekly compostable trash bag than with the Lomi—just ask the thousands of households that have turned to this smart composter!
Written by: Heather Seely