Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 18th April 2024 Issue no. 1110

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Compostable refuse sacks set a record

The use of compostable refuse sacks reached a new record in the UK this year with more than 786,000 being used during a few short weeks in the Summer. As a result, it is believed that more large compostable sacks were used in those weeks than were used by the whole of the UK in the last year.

The stimulus was LOCOG (The London Olympic Organising Committee) setting the target of Olympic and Paralympic games being the greenest games ever. A key part of that was to collect and recycle as much waste as possible, and it was decided to provide a range of distinctive sacks to facilitate waste separation at source.

Three different sizes of bright orange compostable sacks (to EN 13432) were used to collect all compostable waste such as food remains. These were easily identified amidst the overall refuse and sent to an industrial composting site.

The compostable sacks were part of a series of five different coloured bags which were used to collect and separate waste by every single company involved at all the Olympic and Paralympic sites.

All the other four sacks were made from 100% recycled materials in bright colours to help people easily separate waste types.

More than 4.2 million refuse sacks were supplied in total during the games.

"LOCOG went through an extremely thorough tender process, not just looking for value for money, but also to find the greenest solution," reveals Brian Chapman, managing director of The Supplies House - the sole supplier of refuse sacks for both the Olympics and Paralympics. "That fact that they have selected our sacks as the greenest and most cost effective solution to their refuse problem shows we have been heading in the right direction with our green strategy.

"Being a relatively small British company was a proud bonus."

Compostable refuse sacks made to European Standard EN13432 are made from polymerised starch and some waxy polymers. When sent to an industrial composter they will compost down to CO2 and water in around 42 days.

T: 0844 561 4951
W: www.supplieshouse.co.uk

22nd November 2012