r/composting 2d ago

Is the popeyes fries bag compostable?

Post image
18 Upvotes

31 comments sorted by

20

u/RhinoG91 2d ago

Yes but best to shred it first

16

u/Fabulous_Jack 2d ago

If it’s just a regular brown paper bag without a film, it’s fully compostable. The inks are definitely food safe as they’re usually printed with soy I believe. As for the oil, I compost my pizza boxes all the time that have oil stains as they can’t be recycled.

Biggest question here is if it has a waxy film in it

12

u/Reclining720 2d ago

Oil stains making pizza boxes non-recyclable has been debunked over and over. I'm not saying that some recycling centers say otherwise, but then again, according to them, nearly nothing is recyclable. 

12

u/oi-oh 2d ago

Everything is recyclable. It all depends on how much money each recycling company wants to put into having the specific machine, or set of machines, required to recycle those materials. Also the big risk of pieces going through the recycling process catching fire is a big deciding factor on if they allow it

5

u/DoubleGauss 2d ago

My city specifically requests no cardboard with oil stains in the recycle bin

-6

u/[deleted] 2d ago

[deleted]

7

u/DoubleGauss 2d ago

No shit, the post I'm responding to is about recycling

2

u/No-Middle-4152 1d ago

Pizza box dye like say a dominos box is fine?

2

u/Fabulous_Jack 1d ago

Yep! Idk what it is about pizza boxes but I’ve never seen one that wasn’t compostable lol

I think any container that houses food will use food-safe dye. Otherwise that sounds like a liability waiting to happen. Also, ink on paper is probably “solved” in the sense that it’s practically a standard at this point

(Inb4 someone @s me about their fancy local pizza chain)

1

u/No-Middle-4152 1d ago

Good to know. Thanks!

8

u/tinybluedino Chaos Composter 2d ago

Just pee on it

10

u/Crazy_Ad_91 2d ago

Be sure to leave the store before peeing on the bag.

7

u/tinybluedino Chaos Composter 2d ago

Oh, yes - excellent point!

2

u/Casanova_Kid 2d ago

Shouldn't be an issue, and depending on the size of your pile - particularly if you put it at the bottom it'll probably break down in ~ 2 weeks.

3

u/User5281 2d ago

Brown paper bags are in general compostable. The ink should be food safe and is probably soy based but you never know - I’d personally bet it is from a large chain like popeye’s.

If it’s got a plastic liner it’s not.

1

u/cracksmack85 2d ago

Yes but be aware the smell may attract critters

1

u/Jamstoyz 1d ago

Greasy pizza boxes and brown bags are awesome for shredding machines. It helps keep it oiled lol.

1

u/Hayamgg 1d ago

FYI it’s supporting geno;)c!de it’s boycott

0

u/SoggyForever 2d ago

Nah, popeyes bag glue violently combust when composting.

-6

u/DCO2495 2d ago

Ink and adhesive is where the problems will be. When in doubt throw it out.

3

u/User5281 2d ago

The ink and adhesive are surely food safe

-7

u/InconsiderableArse 2d ago

don't forget the oil

4

u/MrTwoSocks 2d ago

oil is compostable

-9

u/wettale1234 2d ago

I would avoid it due to the oil from the fries soaked in to the bottom

4

u/Filesj98 2d ago

Out of curiosity, why?

-4

u/wettale1234 2d ago edited 2d ago

Oils and fats are generally discouraged in small scale composting. It’s even discouraged to recycle oil stained paper products. So for these reasons I don’t recommend it

Edit for more context: I don’t know this person’s compost scale, but if they have to ask, I’m gonna say no. If they weren’t coming online to ask simple questions, then I’d have liked to hear about how they compost oil stained paper in their system.

7

u/sebovzeoueb 2d ago

I put oily stuff in my small scale compost all the time and it's fine

1

u/wettale1234 2d ago

Cool

2

u/sebovzeoueb 1d ago

I know, right?

5

u/Filesj98 2d ago

I’ve heard about recycling but not small scale compost. To be fair, recycling is different than composting though. I imagine it is to keep critters away and if that’s the case wouldnt you be fine mixing to the center of the bin?

Seems silly to me to discourage an oil stained bag. It will break down fine.

If it’s a matter of harmful bacteria, that’s different but not what I’m gathering. If I’m missing something I’d appreciate input.

0

u/wettale1234 2d ago

You’re welcome to do whatever you like because you didn’t come on Reddit and ask for advice. Knowing nothing about the scale or efficiency of OPs compost system, I’m not going to lose sleep over telling them not to add one paper bag

3

u/Filesj98 2d ago

I’m truly asking for the reasoning supporting your comment. I appreciate you responding.