Media Contact: Keith Gilligan
Email: kgilligan@durhamregion.com

Only 100 per cent certified compostable liner bags should be used in the green bin or the material could be left at the curb.

Some bags are advertised as being biodegradable or oxobiodegradable and may indicate they are acceptable for use in municipal programs. However, only liner bags with a certified compostable logo will be collected in Durham Region.

"What's sparking this is our contractor, Miller Waste, has seen an increase in plastic bags," said Steve Jedinak, a waste management technician with the Region.

The unacceptable bags have a chemical added to them to help break them down, but often, the bags haven't fully decomposed.

The compost goes through a three-week cycle and "the proper bags break down in 21 days. They're made of corn starch," Mr. Jedinak stated.

The plastic bags aren't 100 per cent compostable and don't have the appropriate logo, he added.

The bags can be used in York Region and Toronto, he said.

If people don't have the proper bags or can't afford them, they can wrap compost in newspaper, Mr. Jedinak said.

Residents should only use proper liner bags, paper food waste bags or food waste wrapped in newspaper. Compostable bags completely break down and become part of the finished compost.

"Some retailers are carrying the bags that say they are acceptable. They're not," Mr. Jedinak stated.

"If the driver notices, the bin will be tagged and left behind," he said.

The issue is that the improper bags increase the processing costs, as the material has to be sorted and the plastic bags removed, Mr. Jedinak noted.

If a plastic bag does get into the process, "it contaminates the finished product," Mr. Jedinak stated, adding there would be plastic bits leftover in the product.

"The underlining theme of a composting program is to only include items that can break down," Mr. Jedinak stated.

A list of acceptable liner bags is available at www.durhamregionwaste.ca. The list is also available by e-mail at waste@durham.ca, or by calling 905-579-5264 (toll-free at 1-800-667-5671).

All compostable material collected in Durham is processed at a facility in Pickering and the finished material is given to residents to use in their lawns or gardens.