This document specifies a testing scheme and requirements for the designation of carrier bags of any materials that are considered to be suitable for incorporation into well-managed home composting installations for non-commercial purposes with a home composting cycle of normally at least 12 months. Carrier bags are considered as home compostable in a well-managed system only if all the individual components meet the requirements.
The following four aspects are addressed:
a )characterization;
b) biodegradation in well managed home composting;
c) disintegration in well managed home composting; and
d) home compost quality.
The four aspects, a) to d), are assessing the effects on the biological treatment process and the compost made by it.
This document forms the basis for the labelling of carrier bags that are considered to be suitable for the incorporation into well-managed home composting installations.
NOTE 1 Compliance with the requirements of this document by the carrier bags entering the compost does not necessarily imply that a high-quality compost will be produced.
This document covers the suitability of carrier bags for the incorporation into well managed home composting installations but does not address regulations that may exist regarding the suitability of anything disposed together with the carrier bag to home composting.
This document provides a set of guidance on the parameters, boundaries and processes required to engage in well managed, aerobic, home composting. Alternative composting methods and systems may not provide the conditions necessary for the successful home composting of carrier bags which comply with the requirements of this document.
NOTE 2 Additional general information about home composting is provided in Annex F.
The testing scheme and the requirements specified by this document do not apply to worm composting, industrial composting nor community composting. It also does not provide information on the biodegradability of carrier bags ending up in the environment as litter.
This document includes a reference to features of well-managed home composting (Annex E).
The compost produced via home composting by a private individual is for private use only and not for provision to others, free of charge or in return for payment. Therefore, this document has no value as a marketing authorization or authorization of use of the final compost.
NOTE 3 The testing scheme and evaluation criteria could be the basis for the establishment of suitability to home composting of other products.
NOTE 4 The purpose of testing activity b) is to demonstrate the potential for ultimate biodegradation of the test material when exposed to microbes active under mesophilic conditions (between 15 °C and 45 °C).
NOTE 5 The purpose of testing activity c) is to verify the thickness and/or grammage that allows a full disintegration of the test product in a period consistent with a home composting cycle, under defined environmental conditions. To allow for the potential for variations of local climatic conditions and consumer application of well-managed home composting techniques, lower than optimal temperature profile has been adopted for this test.
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