German Ambassador welcomes use of BASF’s ecovio compostable waste bags
Tuesday, 27 August 2013 00:05
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The Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Colombo has welcomed the use of certified compostable bags made with BASF’s ecovio to efficiently and effectively divert organic and biodegradable waste from landfills.
German Ambassador Dr. Juergen Morhard stated: “Good waste management practices are a worldwide imperative, but particularly here in Sri Lanka, which is trying to identify clean and effective methods of disposing garbage. These certified compostable waste bags made with ecovio from BASF are important for industrial scale waste producing sectors such as hotels and supermarkets.
“At the end of the day, waste management has to be considered in the wider context of society, the environment and the economy. Using certified compostable waste bags is a first step in ensuring these management practices become sustainable over the long term.”
Certified compostable bags enable the hygienic collection of organic waste – they prevent liquid leaking from organic waste and keep out unpleasant odors. Additionally, as the bags are certified compostable, they can be processed immediately upon arrival at the composting site, to be quickly converted into high quality compost without the need to first separate non-organic or non-biodegradable waste. In turn, this nutrient-rich compost helps improve the soil quality, treat loss of arable land and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
BASF has already been involved in several trials worldwide to demonstrate the potential of composting as a feasible and effective waste management option for organic waste.
“Based on our experience with pilot projects conducted globally, the use of certified compostable bags help increase participation rates. This is partly because the certified compostable bags allow the hygienic collection of organic waste. Such projects have served as tangible case studies which can support the enactment of waste division policies and legislation,” said Dr. Tobias Haber, Head, Specialty Plastics Asia Pacific, BASF.
“The ecovio bags reflect the commitment to technological innovation and environmental protection inherent in BASF products and services,” said Sunderesan Ramanath, Managing Director of BASF in Sri Lanka. “ecovio is fully biodegradable and certified compostable, and is based to a large extent on renewable resources. We aim to encourage a new approach to waste management that protects natural resources, while ensuring the effective disposal of waste,” he concluded.
ecovio is made of the partially bio-based ecoflex and polylactic acid (PLA). Like the biodegradable waste itself, the ecovio waste bags are broken down by microorganisms into carbon dioxide, water and biomass with the aid of enzymes. The bags can help reduce the amount of organic waste that ends up in the regular garbage cans, contribute to protecting the environment and also lower the disposal costs for residual waste.
