Berlin's biodegradable bags

Berlin’s municipal waste management company Berliner Stadtreinigung (BSR) and BASF have successfully completed a joint pilot project for using organic refuse bags made of Ecovio® FS biodegradable plastic. In September 2011, over 21,000 households in the Prenzlauer Berg and Hellersdorf districts received a trial pack of 10 organic waste bags. At the same time, 3700 Hellersdorf families were also given a kitchen selective-sorting container to make it easier to collect organic waste. Approximately 80% of residents surveyed gave a thumbs-up to the organic waste collection bags. Missorting  i.e., the number of ordinary non-biodegradable bags that ended up in organic waste bins, fell sharply during the trial period. Missorting was down by 37% in Prenzlauer Berg and by as much as 67% in Hellersdorf. The volume of organic waste collected during the project was highly encouraging – up by about 10% in the fourth quarter of 2011. This is completely opposite to the normal seasonal trend: the quantity of organic waste in other districts of Berlin dropped by 20% in the same period.

More information
www.basf.com/group/pressrelease/P-12-179