One million tonnes of Australia’s annual plastic consumption is single-use plastic, 84% of which goes into landfill, with 130,000 tonnes leaking into the marine environment annually, according to research from the Department of Climate Change, Energy and the Environment and Water (DCCEEW).

Leading the compostable revolution is Australian producer of compostable packaging, MyEcoBag. The company’s bin liners have been found to aid in rapidly reducing landfill, contributing to cleaner air and healthier soil, creating jobs and saving council and ratepayer money when used as part of a council Green Bin FOGO (Food Organics, Garden Organics) program.

An analysis of 415 councils in NSW, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia show that 173 councils have introduced a FOGO program, with 85% of those having issued or allowed

compostable bin liners. Many Australians use these compostable bags to help reduce the mess and spillage associated with keeping food scraps from going to landfill.

The convenience and cleanliness of caddy liners has been proven to increase the diversion of food waste by around 30%, reducing the financial and environmental costs of landfill for councils and ratepayers. It also means the use of bioplastics replaces virgin plastics entering the waste stream.

Testament to the positive impacts of an effective FOGO program, Penrith City Council introduced a FOGO bin in 2009 and has seen remarkable outcomes since, including rapidly reduced negative environmental impacts, increased resource recovery and domestic waste charges now sitting among the lowest in the region.

In the first 12 months of introducing the FOGO service, almost two-thirds (61.5%) of waste was diverted from landfill, compared to 20% the year prior through recycling using the yellow lidded bin alone. On average, 33,000 tonnes of organic waste is now collected to be processed into compost annually and over $42 million has been saved since 2009 by composting in lieu of disposing in landfill and incurring taxes from the waste levy. These savings have been passed on to Penrith residents through lower domestic waste charges.

CEO of MyEcoBag’s parent company SECOS, Richard Tegoni is calling for more councils and residents to adopt the use of the bags.

“The cost to our planet, our councils and our ratepayers when FOGO material isn’t properly disposed of is extremely significant. MyEcoBag’s ability to play a part in reducing these costs, particularly to our planet and the future generations yet to enjoy it, is a huge driver for us,” he said.

“The success of FOGO programs and use of certified compostable bin liners over the last 10 or more years has established a well-tested and proven model for organic waste diversion and how it achieves its objective to reduce greenhouse emissions that would occur if organic waste ends up in landfill.

“Further, compostable bags not only greatly improve organic waste programs, but they also replace all conventional plastic bags rendering programs like RedCycle completely unnecessary and if used, has the potential to remove millions of tonnes of plastics and microplastics from our environment.”

Over the past six years, MyEcoBag has sold 500 million compostable bags globally, which could be equated to approximately 3.3 million kilograms of conventional plastic replaced with a better-for-the-environment alternative.

MyEcoBag products are certified to take 90 days to fully break down when composted, leaving no microplastics or toxic residue due to being made with GMO-free corn and other compostable materials. This is significantly faster in the types of commercial compost facilities used for Council Green Bin programs.