In Bavaria, consumers approve the use of compostable bags for fruit and vegetables: they allow to properly collect organic waste and to obtain quality compost

The bioeconomy project “Praxistest Bio-Beutel" in Bavaria has shown that citizens appreciate compostable bags not only for packaging and storing fruit and vegetables, but also for collecting organic waste in the kitchen. Carried out between March 2021 and October 2021, it was in fact aimed at the introduction of compostable bags for fruit and vegetables in some local stores of the German supermarket chains EDEKA and REWE in the Bavarian city of Straubing.

The initiative, in which Novamont was also one of the partners, was managed by C.A.R.M.E.N. e.V. (the Central Agricultural Resources Marketing and Energy Network of the Bavarian Land). Also involved were the Joint Waste Management Authority of the city and district of Straubing (ZAW-SR), the Bavarian Association for Quality Assurance of Compost (RGK e.V.), the Sachverständigenrat Bioökonomie Bayern (Bavarian experts Commitee on bioeconomy) and EDEKA and REWE. The initiative was sponsored by the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs.

C.A.R.M.E.N e.V. recently presented the final report on the results of the project, which showed that consumers are in favour of compostable bags for fruit and vegetables and appreciate their use both for the transport of fruit and vegetables and for the organic waste collection. Consumers were satisfied with the properties and design and information printed on compostable bags, which made their identification easier compared to other non-compostable alternatives.

Analyses carried out on the organic waste gathered and on compost produced at the Straubing composting plant, managed by the local joint waste management company ZAW-SR, showed, on the one hand, a low contamination rate of organic waste and, on the other hand, that more than 80% of it is collected in bags, most of which are compostable. Their use for wet waste collection thus positively influenced the quality of compost.

Read also the news “Compostable bags for fruit and vegetables introduced in Bavaria”. 

Find out more by reading C.A.R.M.E.N e.V.'s final report (German version).

Read the press release published by Verbund kompostierbare Produkte e.V. 

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