Actually compostable compost bags
Municipal composting programs are steadily rolling out in cities across the United States, and millions of people are now composting, some for the very first time. The most common bags used to collect food scraps at home are green bags made from PLA, or corn starch. This material takes a very long time to decompose and can be hard to distinguish from standard plastic bags. In fact, some cities won't even accept them. I decided there must be a better way and took it upon myself to design a kitchen scraps bag that is welcomed by compost facilities and provides a cleaner, more convenient experience for residential customers.
Materials Research
Now, I may be comfortable getting up close and personal with my coffee grounds, but selling something like this commercially does require the bag be leakproof. This necessitates an inner barrier coating with good moisture and grease resistance. There are several companies currently developing compostable coatings made with cellulose, starch, sugarcane, and algae, but not much is publicly available. Despite this I have been lucky to find a partner interested in applications for a new bio-based coating they are developing, and am in the early stages of testing and prototyping the materials and construction.
People Research
Looking for feedback on this idea, I recruited test users in NYC where they are currently rolling out composting services, and sent prototype bags for them to try out and report back on their experience. I wanted to know what works best for them - what size bags they prefer, where they store their compost, how they dispose of it, etc. The feedback has been very helpful and led to important design considerations.
