Poor labelling allows ‘massive amounts’ of plastic into Australia’s garden waste, companies warn

Single-use items such as coffee cups that are labelled as biodegradable do break down, but may not compost and break down into organic substances. Photograph: wera Rodsawang/Getty Images

“Massive amounts” of plastic contamination is getting into food and garden waste through user error and misleading “biodegradable” labelling, waste industry experts have warned.

Leading figures at some of Australia’s largest waste companies are calling for the government to standardise certification of compostable products, as many bin liners, compostable coffee cups and other material labelled “compostable” or “biodegradable” do not break down into organic matter.