Every season, I check my raised beds and always end up finding bits of plastic that seem to float up. I filled these beds with Kellogg’s Organic soil and use commercial compost every year. It really shows just how much plastic is everywhere these days.
Where’s all this plastic coming from? Is it in the soil you bought, or maybe from birds?
Vernon said:
Where’s all this plastic coming from? Is it in the soil you bought, or maybe from birds?
It’s mostly from the compost itself. Commercial compost is usually made from city-collected food scraps, but people end up putting plastic and other non-compostable stuff in those bins. So even the best compost has these little bits of plastic in it.
@Skyler
My city actually requires food scraps to be in a plastic bag in the compost bin! Not even a biodegradable one… It’s crazy. I only use it for things I don’t want in my home compost, like really stubborn weeds.
@Hollis
Same here! We throw those nasty weeds straight in the burn barrel. Only way to be sure they’re gone for good.
@Skyler
Imagine all those green bins for yard waste pickups. In a big city, there are so many, and people toss all kinds of weird stuff in them—sometimes soil bags and weed cloth get thrown in.
Adi said:
@Skyler
Imagine all those green bins for yard waste pickups. In a big city, there are so many, and people toss all kinds of weird stuff in them—sometimes soil bags and weed cloth get thrown in.
My neighbors have told me to toss my dog’s poop bags in their yard bins. They think any bag is biodegradable as long as it’s got dog poop in it!
@Ray
They don’t just toss those bags into a big bucket and wait for it to decompose. At the waste plant, the bags are shredded open by machines so the compostable stuff can drop out. It’s not perfect, and some plastic bits get through, but most bag scraps are removed that way.
@Sage
Wow! Thanks for explaining how it all works. This is the most random but useful info I’ve learned all day! 
@Ray
To be fair, they do make compostable dog bags, but yeah, not all bags will break down like that.
@Skyler
I think it’s worth it. For $100, I get compost delivered from the city, which would be over $400 if bought in bags. Sure, there’s a bit of plastic, but as mulch, it works well enough.
Vail said:
@Skyler
I think it’s worth it. For $100, I get compost delivered from the city, which would be over $400 if bought in bags. Sure, there’s a bit of plastic, but as mulch, it works well enough.
I get the same plastic bits in compost. Only way to avoid it is using my own, but I don’t have enough to cover everything.
@Skyler
I feel the opposite. Mulching with leaves or straw feels more natural and doesn’t smell like chemicals.
@Skyler
Same here!
@Skyler
So, would food scrap compost be considered organic? I mean, is it certifiable?
Rain said:
@Skyler
So, would food scrap compost be considered organic? I mean, is it certifiable?
In my country, yeah. Certified organic compost here can come from city food scraps, even if there’s plastic mixed in.
@Skyler
Our city’s compost isn’t even safe for growing food because of this issue. They only recommend it for flowers and lawns.
Vernon said:
Where’s all this plastic coming from? Is it in the soil you bought, or maybe from birds?
I also use Kellogg’s and found out crows were bringing plastic bits in exchange for grubs. They were treating plastic like their little currency!
Vernon said:
Where’s all this plastic coming from? Is it in the soil you bought, or maybe from birds?
Totally agree. Thinking about the scale of composting, I can’t imagine any easy or cheap way to filter out these small plastic particles.
@Cedar
There’s probably a way. Our waste plant offers free compost, and it’s pretty clean. Maybe an industrial sieve or something could help.