FAQ

What are the Sacks made from?

Paper, which is made from tree flakes and from process waste from the timber industry that would otherwise be wasted. In this way, the production of paper sacks makes the most of every tree . The sacks we supply are only made from softwoods from Scandinavian forests originating from a fully approved FSC resource. All the inks used are water based and all glues are potato starch.

Why don't you supply sacks made from recycled paper?

There are several reasons.

The strength of paper depends on the length of the fibres within it. Each time paper is processed the fibres are broken and the strength of the paper is reduced. This loss of strength is very noticeable once the paper gets wet. This is called the wet strength and we insist our sacks have the highest wet strength because this makes the sacks reliable in use. Another reason why we don't supply sacks made from recycled paper is because of the potential for the paper to be contaminated. We think it is very likely that these contaminants may end up in the human food chain. We only supply sacks that meet all the relevant standards for composting and in this way we know our sacks are safe.

The paper industry is doubtful whether making a high specification paper from recycled paper is actually environmentally friendly once the processing and energy costs are considered.

What are the benefits of Paper?

Paper is made from trees which are a renewable and easily sustainable resource. Trees absorb carbon dioxide and give off oxygen. Younger trees absorb more carbon dioxide and create more oxygen than older trees. The commercial farming of trees ensures more younger trees are growing, thereby helping the quality of the atmosphere.

Paper is therefore a natural material which presents a sound environmental argument.

Paper is versatile and can be produced in differing specifications for green waste, paper waste or kitchen waste sacks including a waterproof paper and a very high strength paper.

When paper sacks are used for green waste collections the paper adds structure to the compost. This helps with the Carbon:Nitrogen balance and creates a high quality compost.

Paper enables the contents of the sack to 'breathe'. This means less smell, less flies and encourages the start of the composting process.

When paper sacks are used for waste paper collection the sack and its contents can be processed together thereby reducing labour and processing costs.

Are the Sacks Approved?

All the sacks are certified in accordance with ISO EN13432 . All the manufacturing processes meet the relevant requirements of ISO EN 14001. These certificates are recognised throughout Europe as the benchmark for biodegradable paper sacks. Additionally the paper sacks have been recognised by three different international certificating bodies: The German Din Certco mark, as supported by The Composting Association for the UK , the Belgian OK Compost certificate and a similar Dutch
award, the Kiwa Milieukeur.

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