THE maker of compostable food organics and garden organics (FOGO) bags has expressed its concerns about a potential ban on the biodegradable bin liners.
As part of Victoria's proposed new standardised four-stream household waste and recycling system, detailed in a Draft Service Standard, the government has proposed to replace the corn starch bin liners - used throughout Rural City of Wangaratta households - with a paper alternative.
The move comes after a section of the recycled organics industry raised concerns during consultation for the service standard about the bags, as they believe they hinder the process of inspecting the contents.
SECOS Group is listed on the ASX and is a leading developer and manufacturer of sustainable packaging materials and it is actively opposing the Draft Service Standard, which closes on August 14.
They have also launched a petition to counter the ban (see https://myecobag.com.au/stop-the-ban-petition/).
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The company said the new classification is in clear misalignment with Australia's broader environmental commitments.
"Further the non-acceptance of certified compostable caddy bin liners is in direct conflict with one of the objectives of the Draft Service Standard which is to reduce the volume of household recyclables and organic material being sent to landfills," a SECOS spokesperson said.
SECOS cites a range of reasons why paper should not be the preferred option, including hygiene issues, cost, environmental impact, carbon emissions, and efficiency.
It reported that the cost of producing paper bags requires four times more water than compostable plastics and generates 3.1 times more greenhouse gases.
SECOS said the cost of paper pages are about four times more expensive than compostable caddy bags.
Claims in the Regulatory Impact Statement that the bags cause contamination were also rebutted by SECOS, with the company reporting that this claim was from processors who represent less than 20 per cent of FOGO councils.
It reported that the average FOGO green bin contamination is already very low at two per cent, compared to 11 per cent for yellow bin recycling.
The company has met with the office of the Minister for Environment requesting the State Government revert to its original position and allow the bags in the FOGO stream.
Rural City of Wangaratta director community and infrastructure, Marcus Goonan, said the draft standard is out for public comment and there is some direction on types of FOGO bags that can be used.
Although council confirmed it hasn't reviewed the impacts in detail, Mr Goonan said he does not believe the changes will have any financial or environmental burden.
One of SECOS's products is the MyEcoBag that are made with corn and other compostable materials and are certified to completely break down when composted, leaving behind no microplastics or other toxic residues.
The bags break down as quickly as the fruit and vegetable scraps they typically contain.
Feedback on the review will be completed later this year and finalisation and publication of the regulations and service standard is set for the end of 2024.
