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You are here: CIWM  >  Publications  >  Latest News  >  AfOR Launches Home Compostable Certification Scheme

AfOR Launches Home Compostable Certification Scheme

01 March 2011

The Association for Organics Recycling (AfOR) in collaboration with AIB Vinçotte, Belgium, has launched a 'Home Compostable' certification scheme that primarily focuses on the UK market. This comes as an addition to the packaging and product certification scheme covering the EN 13432 standard for 'Industrially Compostable', jointly managed by AfOR and its European co-partners.

Jeremy Jacobs, managing director, AfOR, said: "We have responded to calls for the development of a UK based certification scheme for 'Home Compostable' packaging and products. Our new partnership with AIB Vinçotte in Belgium means that this new scheme used the same 'home compostable' criteria established by our partner 8 years ago and that any product certified under this scheme can carry AIB Vincotte's 'OK Compost Home' certification mark."

The 'Industrially Compostable', which has been established in Europe since 2000, runs its biodegradation test on laboratory-scale composting conditions that are equivalent to industrial conditions rather than home composting ones. And with 'Industrially Compostable' packaging not yet widely popular with commercial composting facilities, this leaves a door wide open for 'Home Compostable', which already boasts of widespread use among millions of UK households.

AfOR has worked closely with WRAP on the development of 'Home Compostable' certification mark and it is in line with the WRAP's popular On-Pack Recycling Label Scheme, which has already established widespread sales amongst packaging manufacturers and retailers in the UK.

The move is seen as a measure taken by AfOR to compel householders to home compost instead of mixing these items with the organics, dry-recyclable or residual waste bins for collection at the kerbside. AfOR anticipates a significant reduction in resources, costs and carbon related impacts associated with kerbside collection as a direct result of the certification mark, helping channel this waste in to home composting bins.

Krishna Buddhiraju