Compostable<br>or recycled?

Compostable
or recycled?

2 min read / disposal / manufacturing

We'd like to raise a glass to everyone keeping our streets tidy by cleaning up after their dog. In fact, let's make that a trophy.

There are over 12 million dogs in the UK, and every paw is a credit to our nation. But, with every dog comes a little extra waste - totalling over 24 million poops a day.

 

If you dispose of your dog's waste in park bins or general waste, we'd recommend our recycled bags (scented and unscented). If you can compost your dog's waste at home, our home compostables are the best bags for you.

There's no silver bullet on how to reduce the impact of cleaning up after our dogs. By nature of their use, poop bags are currently very much a single-use product. 

We've been racking our brains on how to tackle this slightly stinky challenge. And worked with our technicians to develop two varieties, each designed for different waste streams. So, no matter if you use park bins, household rubbish or compost your dogs waste at home - there is a bag for you.

 

 

We ran a study and found that 96% of our customers disposed of their pet's waste in park bins or general waste, both lead to landfill where very little breaks down. 

Landfill conditions lacks moisture and oxygen, key components in breaking down waste. Whether a bag is certified compostable, biodegradable or claims to be degradable; if landfill is where it is heading, it's unlikely to break down in the time expected. 

"The impact reduction of recycled materials comes at the point of manufacture"

 

So, its benefits aren't compromised if the bag finds itself in a landfill environment. We’ve found a way to use recycled materials to make our sturdy poop bags. In particular, post-consumer recycled materials. That means, every one of our poop bags started life as discarded waste that has been collected, cleaned and repurposed. 

 

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"If you can compost your dog's waste at home... amazing!"

 

 

Home compostable bags are the ones for you. They're certified by TUV to meet globally recognised standards of compostability.

They’re made from cornstarch, the plant-based contents, and PBAT (a biodegradable type of polymer). They'll break down in your very own home compost system, leaving no trace. Only use the compost to feed non-edible plants though, no fruit or vegetables please.

 

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Even if they find themselves in landfill, home compostable bags are still an environmental step up from virgin plastic. Their partly plant-based composition makes their manufacture less carbon intensive than virgin plastic, whilst reducing our dependance on fossil fuels, using a renewable resource instead.

A bit of housekeeping. You do need to be careful when composting your dog's waste as it contains harmful bacteria. The compost heap needs to have the right mix of other ingredients, be turned regularly, and reach the right temperature to kill off any of the harmful stuff in your dog's waste. You can find a composting recipe and guidance here.

 

"Which will it be, compostable or recycled?" 

*The carbon footprint calculation is based on data from the Climate Neutral database, 2021.
 
We hope you found this helpful and it has helped to point you in the right direction when it comes to choosing which is the best bag for you.
 
The issue of managing dog waste is complex, and there is no silver bullet, so we'll continue searching for the next innovation and improvement. We'll keep our ears to the ground and look forward to sharing our progress.