Sainbury's compost bags. Too good to be true?

[Mincepiedermama]

I'm wondering if these really are going to compost. They're these thin, small green bags which you put compost it. I've already put loads in the compost bin so I hope they really do work. I can still see them in there, largely unmcomposting by the looks of things. I wonder how long it's supposed to take.

I really hope they work as they've transformed the composting experience for me.

Any experience?

interested to see how you go..........

Yes, they compost. It's cold at the moment though so it'll take longer.

Heat makes things compost a lot more quickly.

We had a food recycling when we lived in Somerset where they composted everything - raw meat/fish/everything and we used the starch/maize bags there.

They feel really funny but they're fine and do work. I now buy the Tesco ones for our outdoor compost bin. Sometimes, in summer, the bags started to break down before they left the bin after only a day and a half - hmmmmmm, nice!

lucie at least you know they'll be breaking down in the compost bin.

I love the idea of maize bags. I may try to find them online.

haven't come across these - what bit of the composting process are they for?

I buy these and IMHO they DO NOT compost down. After 3-6 months they were still as they were and I had to pick them all out to turn the compost and throw them away.

now I still buy them but empty the contents into the compost bin and throw the geen bag in the normal rubbish bin.

is that only the sainsbury's ones?

I've had 2 sorts of sainsburys ones - pale green and white

Yes those are the ones furball. Oh nooooo! There's no point emptying them then throwing the compost bag in the landfill bin. You may as well use an ordinary bag, surely.

I have found the green sainsburys ones better than the tesco version but I am another one who gives up and fishes them out after 6 months! I now just fill the caddy directly and rinse/dishwash it occasionally.

Before I had a posh compost caddy, I used a large icecream tub on my worktop.

Spidermama - You could use an ordinary bag, but if they are supposed to compost down then IMHO they have a better chance of breaking down in landfil over a longer peiod of time than a normal bag.

I used to think that about putting vegetable peelings in landfill but then it has been explained to me that I was badly wrong. I can't remember why. It's to do with methane or something.

you can also get them from natural collection.co.uk. they are made of cornstarch. Lest Sainsb ever run out.

I've been using some cornstarch nappy sacks I bought and didn't use They seem to disappear fairly quickly (although I've not lingered to look in the compost bin recently). I also use empty flour bags etc etc.

i think the problem with landfill is you don't get the right conditions (anaerobic i think) fot the bacteria that help with composting to grow. so that's why you shouldn't put your peelings there. however if your council have a large scale composting system then it would be more efficient than everyone having their own little bins...but i don't know if any actually do this.
i like the sound of those little bags, we use a plastic tray that some mushrooms came in and it does the job well.

ooh that's a good idea - i also have lots of degradable nappy sacks that i don't use. like the flour bag idea too

Do you actually put nappies in the compost then in these sacks? Or do you just put them in the landfill bin and feel better about using the nappy sacks because they'll break down?

Neither actually. Which is why I am using them for compost.

And I don't need a lecture on environmental issues, thanks.

OMG Dragon! How chippy!

That wasn't a lecture. I was genuinely interested. I want to learn.

Are you always this defensive?

JEEZ!

Ok in the spirit of peace and understanding I will rephrase that last post.

Dragon, I can see why you thought I was lecturing you but actually the question was genuine. I really wanted to know, and still do, if people actually compost the nappies that claim to be compostable and how it works. I was not being judgemental at all .... just seeking to learn.

Sorry if that wasn't clear from my post.