Skip to content

WasteAware Hertfordshire Partnership logo
    

Compostable and biodegradable plastics come in a variety of materials. Not all can go in your garden or food waste collection.

Some will compost in a home composter, others won’t. Many aren't suitable for your kerbside garden and food waste collections - some simply break down into micro-plastics that cause pollution.

So here's what you need to know...

 
1. If your plastic caddy liners have the seedling logo, you can put them in your kerbside food waste bins, wherever you live in Hertfordshire.

2. If your plastic liners are labelled as compostable or biodegradable, but don't have the seedling logo, please check with your district or borough council to find out whether you can put them in your kerbside food waste bins. Not all food waste facilities can break them down.

3. Only put plastics in your compost bin at home if they're labelled as home compostable. Others won't break down because they require hotter temperatures.

4. Put water soluble plastics in your general waste bin. They're almost impossible for our crews to distinguish from other, recyclable plastics.

5. Do not put any of the above products into your kerbside plastic recycling bins. They're not currently recyclable in Hertfordshire.

 

Biodegradable product labelling

With no standard labelling system, the world of biodegradable and compostable plastic products is confusing.

Here's what to do with them:
 

Home compostable logos

You can put these in your kerbside general waste bin or compost them at home.

Check with your district or borough council to find out if you can put them in your kerbside food waste bin.

Home compostable logos - all say "home compostable" or "Home OK compost".

 

Compostable logos

You can put these in your kerbside general waste bin.

Check with your district or borough council to find out if you can put them in your kerbside food waste bin.

Compostable logos - all say "OK compost"

 

Seedling logo

You can put them in your kerbside food waste bin.

compostable plastic seedling logo

 

Biodegradable logos

You can put these plastics in your kerbside general waste bin.

Check with your district or borough council to find out if you can put them in your kerbside food waste bin.

Biodegradable logos - all say "100% biodegradable" or "100% plastic free"

 

Bioplastics logos

You can put these plastics in your general waste bin.

Check with your district or borough council to find out if you can put them in your kerbside food waste bin.

Bioplastics logos - all say "OK biobased" or "Biobased more than 85%"

 

Oxo-degradable plastics

You can put these plastics in your general waste bin.

Check with your district or borough council to find out if you can put them in your kerbside food waste bin.

Oxo-degradable logo - put these plastics in your general waste bin

Oxo-degradable plastic bags have been banned in the EU and are likely to disappear from circulation. They are, however, in widespread use in other parts of the world.

Rate this page

Rate this page as Good Rate this page as Average Rate this page as Poor