As someone who’s spent the last eight years working as a biodegradable plastic bag supplier, I get that confusion around proper disposal is one of the biggest pain points for both small business owners and everyday consumers. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve gotten calls or emails asking, “If these bags break down, can I just toss them in any trash bin?” or “Is it the same as regular recycling?” The short answer? No—biodegradable plastic bags aren’t a “set it and forget it” product. They have specific needs that, when met, turn them from a eco-friendly alternative into a true solution for cutting plastic waste. When they’re disposed of wrong, though, they can still cause the same headaches as conventional plastic. Let me break this down the way I do with every new customer and every person who reaches out wanting to make better choices for our planet. Biodegradable Plastic Bag
First, let’s clear up what biodegradable plastic actually is, because that’s where most of the misconceptions start. Not all biodegradable plastics are created equal. The bags we supply are made from plant-based materials like corn starch and sugarcane fiber, blended with a small amount of bio-based polymer that lets them break down when exposed to specific conditions: consistent moisture, controlled heat, and active microbes. Without those conditions, they can take just as long to break down as regular polyethylene plastic. I’ve seen these bags sit in a curbside trash bin for 18 months without degrading a single shred—same as the old grocery bags from 10 years ago. That’s why the first rule of proper disposal is knowing where your local waste streams actually accept these bags, because they’re not universal.
Let’s start with the most common mistake people make: tossing biodegradable plastic bags in regular curbside recycling bins. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve pulled a used bag from a recycling load, crumpled it up, and realized it’s not going to get processed. Most municipal recycling programs are designed for rigid plastics like water bottles and milk jugs, not thin, flexible films—even if they’re biodegradable. The sorting machines at recycling centers can’t distinguish between a compostable bag and a conventional one, so both end up tangled in the machinery, jamming lines and costing facilities thousands of dollars in repairs. Last year, a recycling plant in the Midwest I work with told me that flexible films account for 15% of their line downtime, and biodegradable ones are just as much of a nuisance as non-biodegradable ones when they’re sorted incorrectly. That’s why I always advise people to check their local recycling program’s specific rules for flexible plastics, and if they don’t accept biodegradable films, don’t put them in that bin.
So what’s the right place for biodegradable plastic bags? Almost always, industrial composting facilities. These are the places that control the exact combination of temperature (usually 130–170°F), moisture, and microbial activity that our bags need to break down completely, turning into nutrient-rich compost in 90 to 180 days. That’s a huge win compared to conventional plastic, which can take 400+ years to decompose, but only if it’s in that controlled environment. Many people don’t realize that curbside composting programs are becoming more common—more than 3,000 U.S. municipalities now offer curbside compost pickup, and most of them accept biodegradable plastic bags, as long as they meet the ASTM D6400 or EN 13432 standards (the two main certifications for home and industrial compostable plastics). I always tell customers to look for those certifications on the bag’s packaging, because that’s the only way to be sure it will break down properly in a compost environment.
What about home composting? That’s a trickier topic, and I get asked about it all the time. Some biodegradable bags are marketed as “home compostable,” which means they can break down in a backyard compost pile, but even then, it’s not a guarantee. Backyard compost piles don’t have the consistent heat that industrial facilities use, so degradation will be much slower—sometimes taking two to three years. Plus, if your compost pile is dry, or doesn’t have enough nitrogen, the microbes that break down the plastic won’t be active enough. I’ve had a customer in Oregon tell me she tried composting our bags in her backyard and they were still in her pile after 14 months, so she ended up taking them to a local industrial compost site. That’s not to say home composting never works—if you have a well-maintained, hot compost pile (130°F or higher for several months), it’s possible—but it’s not the most reliable option. If you’re counting on your bags breaking down quickly, home composting should be a secondary choice, not your first.
Another option that people sometimes overlook: retail drop-off programs for plastic films. Many grocery stores, big box retailers, and even some home improvement stores have bins for plastic film recycling—think bread bags, produce bags, and even dry cleaning bags. Now, here’s the thing: most of these programs accept both conventional plastic film and biodegradable plastic film, as long as the film is clean and dry. The bins are sent to facilities that specialize in processing flexible plastics, and while those facilities might not break down the biodegradable parts, some do separate them from conventional plastic and process them separately. I’ve worked with a grocery chain in Texas that now accepts our biodegradable bags at their 200+ locations, and they report that 85% of the bags dropped off are processed correctly, with the remaining 15% going to industrial compost. That’s a great option for people who don’t have curbside composting but live near a store with a drop-off bin.
But what if none of these options are available in your area? What if you don’t have curbside compost, no nearby drop-off bins, and your recycling program doesn’t take flexible films? I hear this all the time from customers in rural areas or small towns. The short answer is that you should only use these bags if you can commit to the proper disposal, but if you already have a batch of bags and no other options, the next best thing is to seal them in a non-biodegradable plastic bag and put them in the regular trash. Wait, I know that sounds counterintuitive, but hear me out. If you just toss a single biodegradable bag in a landfill, it will end up in an anaerobic, oxygen-deprived environment where there are almost no microbes to break it down. It will just sit there, same as a conventional plastic bag, for decades. But if you seal it in a thick, non-biodegradable trash bag, you keep it from blowing away as litter, which is one of the biggest environmental harms from plastic bags. Littered biodegradable bags can still harm wildlife—birds and small animals might mistake them for food, even if they’re supposed to break down. So sealing them in the regular trash is far better than letting them become litter, even if it’s not the perfect solution. I always make a point to tell customers: “If you can’t compost or drop them off, don’t use these bags at all, but if you already have a supply, seal them tightly in another plastic bag before throwing them away.”
There are also some common myths I want to debunk, because I’ve seen them spread so much on social media that I worry they’re leading people to make bad choices. The first myth is that “all biodegradable plastics are compostable.” That’s not true. Some biodegradable plastics are designed to break down in marine environments, for example, but not in industrial compost. Others are biodegradable in soil but not in the specific conditions of a compost pile. That’s why checking for those ASTM or EN certifications is non-negotiable—they’re the only third-party tests that guarantee a product will break down in a specific environment. The second myth is that biodegradable plastic bags are a free pass to use them more. No, they’re still a single-use plastic product, and reducing overall use is always better than replacing one plastic product with another. I always advise customers to switch to reusable cloth bags for routine trips, and only use biodegradable bags when reusable ones aren’t practical—like for catering events, produce in bulk bins, or when you have guests and don’t want to make them bring their own.
I also want to talk about the mistake of mixing biodegradable bags with food waste in curbside bins, if your program only accepts food scraps. Wait, hold on—if your city has a curbside compost bin for food only, that doesn’t mean you can throw your biodegradable bag in there. Most of those programs are specifically for food scraps, and adding a foreign material like a plastic bag—even a biodegradable one—can contaminate the entire load of compost. If a truckload of compost has plastic in it, the whole batch might be rejected and sent to a landfill. That’s a huge waste of food scraps that could have been turned into compost, so I always tell people: if you’re using a biodegradable bag to line a food scrap bin, either remove the bag and compost the food scraps separately, or check if your program allows lined bins (many industrial compost facilities can process the bag along with the food, but curbside programs might not). That’s a small step that makes a big difference in preventing contamination.
Over the years, I’ve seen a lot of progress in the space of biodegradable plastics, and more cities are updating their waste rules to better accommodate these products. But that progress only works if people know how to dispose of them correctly. Last year, I partnered with a local non-profit to host a workshop for small business owners on sustainable packaging, and one of the owners told me that before our workshop, she was throwing all her biodegradable bags in the regular trash, not realizing that her city had a curbside compost program that accepted them. She started using that program, and estimated that she cut her plastic waste by 70% in six months. That’s the kind of impact that comes from clear, practical information—no jargon, no confusing rules, just a straightforward guide to doing it right.
If you’re a business owner looking to make the switch to biodegradable bags, or someone who wants to start using them for personal use, the first step is to do a quick check of your local waste options. Pull up your city’s public works website, or give them a call, and ask three simple questions: Do you accept flexible plastic films in recycling? Do you offer curbside composting that accepts biodegradable plastics? Are there any retail drop-off bins for plastic film within 10 miles of my home or business? Write those answers down, and once you know that, you can choose the right disposal method for your bags. And if you’re a business that currently uses conventional plastic bags and is ready to switch to a more sustainable option, don’t hesitate to reach out. My team works with businesses of all sizes—from small cafes to large grocery chains—to source the right biodegradable bags that fit their needs, and we can also help you develop a disposal plan that works for your location. We’ve already helped over 200 businesses reduce their plastic waste by switching to our certified biodegradable bags, and we’re always happy to walk you through every step, from choosing the right bag to disposing of it correctly.
At the end of the day, biodegradable plastic bags aren’t a magic fix for the global plastic waste crisis. But when they’re disposed of properly, they’re a powerful tool to reduce the amount of plastic that ends up in landfills, oceans, and littered across the planet. The key is to not treat them like regular plastic, and to take the time to learn what your local waste infrastructure can handle. It’s not complicated—it just takes a little bit of effort, and a willingness to follow the specific rules that make these bags work as intended. If you have questions about choosing the right biodegradable bags for your needs, or how to set up a disposal system for your business, we’re here to help. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution, but with a little guidance, we can make sustainable packaging a realistic, easy choice for you and your community.
Plastic Die Cut Bags & Patch Handle Bag References:
- American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). Standard Specification for Compostable Plastics (ASTM D6400).
- European Committee for Standardization (CEN). Plastics – Compostable Plastics – Specification (EN 13432).
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Composting in the U.S. 2022 Report.
- National Waste & Recycling Association. Flexible Plastics Recycling Best Practices.
- Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI). Compostable Product Certification Guidelines.
Xiamen Leadkit Group Co., Ltd.
Xiamen Leadkit Group Co., Ltd. is one of the most professional biodegradable plastic bag manufacturers and suppliers in China, specialized in providing high quality customized service. Please feel free to wholesale cheap biodegradable plastic bag from our factory. Contact us for more details.
Address: No.398, Jiahe Road, Huli District, Xiamen, Fujian, China
E-mail: effie@leadkitpackaging.com
WebSite: https://www.leadkitpackaging.com/
