Are they really better and what you need to know about them.
Picking up poo is nobody's favorite activity, but as a pet owner you have to do it daily, sometimes twice or thrice daily. So, let's talk about how we're picking it up.
You may have heard of biodegradable plastics before, but we're here to tell you that not all of them are made equal or even truly biodegradable.
Most poo bags in Singapore are oxo - degradable. This often gets confused with biodegradable plastics, oxo- degradable are entirely different. This means the bag is made of normal plastic (eg. HDPE or PE) with added chemicals to help them breakdown into smaller pieces which eventually break into smaller pieces called microplastic. They do not breakdown at the molecular level like biodegradable or compostable plastics. The remaining microplastic can affect wild life and be harmful to our ocean life.
What about biodegradable and compostable plastics? While they may sound the same biodegradable plastics and compostable plastics are not the same.
All compostable plastics are biodegradable, but not all biodegradable plastics are compostable.
Biodegradable plastics are designed to breakdown in soil or water while compostable plastics refers to plastic that biodegrades into carbon dioxide and water under composting conditions, if the compostable plastic has been certified to meet ASTM D6400 it has been tested that it will decompose leaving no toxic residue that would adversely effect our soil within 6 months. However, if a product is not certified or tested there are no grantees of the timeframe it will take to breakdown.
So why choose Clean Conscience bags? Our bags are certified by BPI (Biodegradable Products Institute) to be 100% compostable in composting conditions. It has been tested, to compost at a rate comparable to known compost materials such as paper and organic matter. The standard also takes into account the effects on the soil. The material cannot contain any heavy metals or toxins that can affect plant and animal life. After 3 - 6 months under compost conditions it will completely biodegrade to carbon dioxide and water.
What's the catch?
To be frank with you, this is only the beginning to finding a solution. The truth is composting facilities are not yet available in Singapore. All of our wastes are sent to an incineration plant.
Even if we're not offering the perfect solution why should you still choose us?
Our bags are plant based and made with no toxic additives. By Being plant based and not petrochemical based has the benefit of reducing its carbon footprint. Plant based plastics are climate - neutral or close to being climate - neutral as each plant absorbs carbon dioxide in its life time as it emits when it is burned or decomposed. Bringing us one more step towards the right direction in this climate fight.
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