29 Sep Compostable poo bags
Compostable bags are made from plant based materials such as corn starch. All the bags in this review are only made from corn starch. Bags which claim to be bio degradable or degradable are often a blend of plant material and plastics so they are not under review and should not be used at the dog park. These types of bag can take 12-18 months to degrade and when they do, they leave micro-plastics behind in the soil.
When you buy your bags you are looking for TUV OK HOME Compost and EN 13432 which is often depicted by the seedling certification, don’t worry if it doesn’t have the number under it.
To be clear, only compostable corn starch bags are to be used in the park.
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The waste and the bags will rot down along with other compostable material such as horse manure and the output from our anaerobic digester and will be used as fertiliser on the land. The compost created will not be spread on crops intended for human consumption. Plastic bags and plastic blend bags will not rot down within the year so are not suitable.
Yes compostable bags are more expensive. Whether you use compostable bags at the park, at home, on walks we should all be spending the extra to stop plastic waste.
* Research from May 2021 suggests there are 8.5 million dogs in the UK, each pooping 2-3 times a day equating to 5.5 billion poo bags a year. Most compostable bags are 4-6p each so 2 bags per day £43.68 over the entire year. At its most expensive that is less than a £1 per week. * https://www.companionlife.co.uk/research-unveils-uks-dog-poo-problem-during-lockdown/
Graeme Hill (TV dog trainer) recently commented on a GMTV interview – “You shouldn’t have a dog if you can’t afford cornstarch bags “
REVIEW
A selection of poop bags bought on Amazon, local supermarkets and pet shops.
My AlphaPet, EcoGreen Living, Ecowave, Earth Rated, Adios, Yingdelal, The Deggie, Beco, NWA, Benevo, Give A Shit, Peanuts Planet, Pets at Home, Good Boy.
Recommends: They are all capable of doing the job. Be careful with some brand as they make false claims – always check they have certification and read comments online before you buy. Personally I like The Deggie as they are British manufactured. Give a Shit, Benevo, Eco Green Living I feel are the strongest.
My Alphapet
Available form: Amazon
Price per Bag: £20.69 for 320 bags 6p per bag
Size: 25cm x 36cm
Strength: They have a gathered bottom which makes weighty contents feel more secure, not masses of stretch though so they can tear
EcoGreen Living
Available from: their own website, www.greenecoliving.co.uk and Amazon
Price per bag: £4.99 for 60 bag 8p.
Size:22.5cm x 35cm
Strength: Really strong and stretchy
Pros and cons: Available on subscription. Great company based in the UK They offer lots of genuinely eco friendly and compostable products not just poop bags. Partnered with Treesisters to plant trees for every purchase made
Ecowave
Available from: Available on Amazon or their own website https://www.ecowaveworld.com
Price per bag: £6.99 for 120, 6p each.
Size: These actually have handles but they are tiny and are incorporated into the measurements of the bag, a pretty standard 23 x 36cm so it feels small.
Strength: cosseted bottom so they feel like they will hold a lot of weight, stretchy material so not to easy to tear
Pros and cons: They also are involved manufacture of other eco products such as bin bags.
Earth Rated
Available from: Jollyes Petstore Kettering and Amazon
Price per bag: £6.99 for 60, so an expensive 11p each
Size: standard 23cmx33cm
Strength:Very good, stretchy type material so not too easy to tear.
Pros and cons:A little too see through if you’re squeamish about what’s in your bag. Be careful with this brand as they also do non-compostable bags in a very similar box.
Adios
Available from: Pets at Home
Price per bag: £10 for 120 bags 8p each.
Size:23x33cm size
Strength: pretty good stretch and strength
Pros and cons: All the bags have a sticker on the roll but this particular brand wasn’t going to let the first bag go without tearing a hole in it.
Yingdelai
Available from: Amazon
Price per bag: £11.99 for 120 – 1op per bag per bag
Size: Standard 23cm x 33cm
Strength: Very good strong stretchy material.
Pros and Cons: Good strong bag but more expensive than others.
The Deggie
Available from: Amazon
Price per bag: £12.56 for 240. 5p per bag
Size:23cmx33cm.
Strength:Small gusset at the bottom, no seam down the edge, strong and stretchy material
Pros and cons: UK made. UK jobs, no thousands of air miles getting them here and they’ve managed to keep the price really competitive. They also don’t have the annoying sticker on the first bag. Their website looks like they might do one with handles http://www.biodegradablebag.co.uk/prod6.htm
Beco
Available from: Pets at Home
Price per bag: £7 for 90 bags, Amazon £7.49 for 96 per bag 7p
Size:23cmx33cm
Strength:really strong, no seams and didn’t tear
Pros and cons:They also do bags with handles on their website. Easy sticker
Be careful, they have scented and non-compostable bags too in a similar box.
Benevo
Available from: Amazon
Price per bag: £6.99 for 120 5p per bag
Size:22cm x 33cm
Strength: strong stretchy type material
Pros and cons: A ethical and vegan-owned company approved by PeTA as a cruelty-free brand, Easy peel sticker
Give a shit
Available from: Amazon
Price per bag:From 240 bags for £17.00, Price per bag 7p
Size:23cmx33cm
Strength: Strong stretch type material
Pros and cons:the company give 10% of all their profits to animal charities. Easy peel sticker, Cool name
Peanuts Planet
Available from: Amazon
Price per bag:£9.99 for 180 bags Price per bag 5p
Size:23cmx33cm
Strength: Good strong bag, Easier to open than most as its not as soft and stretchy, this does mean you can’t pull it about too much though otherwise it tear open
Pros and cons: can’t find anything about the company although the bags are made in china. Easy peel sticker
Goodboy
Available from: Sainsbury and Asda
Price per bag: £2 for 50 Price per bag 4p
Size: 35cmx9.5cm
Strength:Very small and a bit too easy to put a finger through
Pros and cons: A pretty good price and handy to just pick some up with your weekly shop, they have decent handles so if you have a small dog and you’re careful they are fine. Not in a roll they are individual bags
Planet Poop
Available from:Amazon
Price per bag:£9.99 for 240 so a fantastic 4p each
Size:23cmx33cm
Strength: to be honest haven’t tried these yet, I saw them on Amazon and added them because they look value.
Pros and cons:They have their own store on amazon and offer bags of all shapes and sizes.
https://greenpoopbag.co.uk are a little more expensive but are offering free samples and will send out regular monthly bags to you so you don’t even need to think about buying them.
DONT BUYS
Amazon Umi
Available from: Amazon’s own brand
Price per bag: £9.99 for 300 or 3p each
Size:23cmx33cm
Strength:Flimsy and see through, not sure how leak proof this will be
Pros and cons:They are very see through. There is some confusion about the ingredients, they state cornstarch but the product is not certified anywhere. Comments on the Amazon page mention how plasticky it feels and that it breaks down to vinyl.
Pets at Home Own brand.
Available from:Pets at Home
Price per bag: £7 for 90 bags Price per bag £7p
Size:23cmx33cm
Strength:Flimsy and impossible to open the bag,
Pros and cons:So disappointed, at they are not the cheapest but they definitely feel like they are. Flimsy, impossible to open, sticker rips a hole in the next bag on the roll when you tear if off