Viable Alternative: Bags That Decompose In an earlier blog post, I wrote about composting. “If you are a bit squeamish, keep in mind that compost is proven to be the best mulch and soil enrichment; it’s a fantastic way of reducing the amount of waste going to the landfills and it saves you money by reducing your fertilizer and landscaping bills.” For the neophyte composter, like myself, storing food scraps before tossing them into a compost bin is not all that enticing, (although it is the ecologically right thing to do).  Regular plastic bags are not an option since they do not decompose over time.  I came across a company, based in my old stomping ground, Palm Harbor, Florida, that manufactures the ultimate solution: BioBag Food Waste bags .   “BioBag kitchen waste bags are primarily used for the collection of food scraps and other biodegradable waste for home or community composting.”   The thin bags are made from corn and will decompose within 10-45 days once they hit the landfill or compost pile.  The bags even lessen the overbearing odor that often comes with composting.  This is perfect, then: collect your compostable food scraps in the Biobag and once it’s filled, just pitch the sealed bag into your compost bin!   BioBags has a variety of bags to choose from: • 3 gallon food waste bags • 13 gallon tall kitchen bags • 33 gallon lawn and leaf bags • Dog waste bags • Cat pan liners   You must visit the BioBags website and read about their certifications and technologies behind their products.  And kudos to BioBag: they are even recommended by Oprah and Martha Stewart! So where do you purchase BioBags?  There are many online retailers like Amazon or drugstore.com  that sell it as well as most natural food stores like Whole Foods. Although I bring my own bags to the store when I shop, I must admit, I sometimes accept the polyethylene plastic bags to use for my trash cans.  I know they can take thousands of years to degrade.  It’s a convenience issue.  Ok, then, this is my new earth promise: to use 100% biodegradable bags such as BioBags.  Not only will it will reduce the amount of plastic that goes into the landfills, but you will know you are reducing the production of these lethal polluters that contribute to air pollution and energy consumption. Tags: biodegradable, biodegradable bags, carbon footprint, change, changes, climate change, compost, decompose, earth, earth promise, earthpromise, eco-friendly, energy, environment, environmental, environmental footprint, environmental issues, global warming, green, green changes, green future, green hour, green living, green practice, green practices, green revolution, green tips, landfills, Martha Stewart, nature, Oprah, organic, outdoor, plastic bags, polyethene, reuse, whole foods

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