Otakumart is now utilising eco-friendly solutions to help reduce waste. Our courier bags by r3packs.co.nz are compostable and are made with corn starch, PLA and PBAT. They are also printed with non-toxic ink! r3packs courier bags are compostable both commercially and in your own home.
Please remove all courier ticket labels and the non toxic adhesive glue strip prior to composting.
Are there other ways to reuse them?
r3packs compostable bags can be used again in many different ways. Reusing them is a great way to reduce waste.
- Turn them inside out and they can be used as a courier bag once more
- Weed matting
- Seedling bags
- Food waste bag
Once its a bit worse for wear you can then either compost them at home or through a commercial composter.
How long will they take to decompose in the compost pile?
Under the AS4736-2006 certification (commercial) and EN13432-2000 the compostable bags are required to meet the following requirements:
- minimum bio-degradation of 90% of the bioplastic / materials within 180 days compost
- minimum of 90% of the bioplastic / materials should disintegrate into less than 2mm pieces in compost within 12 weeks
- no toxic effect of the resulting compost on plants and earthworms
- hazardous substances such as heavy metals should not be present above the maximum allowed levels
That means that 90 percent or more of the plastic material will have been converted to Carbon Dioxide. The remaining share is converted into water and biomass.
The timeframe in which the bags will breakdown is dependent on many factors such as moisture and constant temperature.