Hard to digest

We have been collecting our green kitchen waste in compostable bin liners and adding it to the compost heap, thinking we were doing the right thing. However, I noticed in Clippings (January issue) that these compostable bags can still be intact months later. So, I researched which bags were the best in terms of compostability and found that the differences among biodegradable, compostable and home-compostable are not well explained. ‘Compostable’ apparently means that they will break down in an industrial compost heap rather than one at home. I was pointed towards products labelled ‘Suitable for Home Composting’, which I’ve not seen before.

Jeremy Lee, by email