“But what about cling wrap?” As an eco-advocate, educator, and go-to for all sorts of random sustainability questions, I’m asked up to 30 questions a day about ‘eco swaps’.

One common question thrown at me is what to do about cling wrap. You know: the clear plastic stuff that keeps food fresh, wraps your sandwiches to take to work, or goes over your platters before your guests arrive.

Turns out, even if people know conventional cling wrap is bad for the planet, they have a tough time breaking up with it.

Personally, I’ve used beeswax wraps for the past 3 years, but talking to large families, caterers, and foodies in the hospitality industry, has meant I’ve been on the lookout for home compostable cling wrap to help them replace their conventional plastic stuff.

Enter: Compostic.

I’m pretty proud to say that the first home compostable cling wrap I have found, comes from a Kiwi (New Zealand) owned company. Two dudes, Jon & Josh, saw a need, and stepped up to the plate to tackle it.

Thanks guys.

Like me, the Compostic team believe reusable options are key. But also like me, they understand that sometimes this isn’t possible. For example, I witnessed a proclaimed zero waste catering company deliver trays of nibbles with cling wrap (not the compostable kind) over the top. When I asked why, with a very disappointed and embarrassed face she explained beeswax wraps wouldn’t work (looking at the trays, I saw they would have crushed the masterpieces) and it was her only option.

That’s one of the reasons I was so excited to test Compostic’s home compostable cling wrap and resealable bags.

Let’s take it back to basics for a second…

The problem with conventional cling wrap is that even though it’s helpful in the moment, it takes hundred and hundreds of years to degrade. And when it does degrade, it only breaks up into smaller plastic pieces, rather than into a bio-material that nourishes the earth.

Moving onto the solution, Compostic don’t just create compostable cling wrap. Jon and Josh considered the 8.3 billion metric tonnes of plastic that has been created over the past 6 decades, and began creating solutions in the kitchen, starting with compostable, reusable zip lock bags plus the cling wrap. Their ultimate goal is to rid the world of unnecessary non-compostable plastic waste in the household.

What is Compostic’s plant based home compostable material made from?

All Compostic products are made with a group of biopolymers, which are blended into a single compound and worked into a versatile, home compostable material. None of the products contain any conventional, oil based plastic whatsoever.

I realise there’s a lot of greenwashing out there, and many ‘compostable’ products on the market aren’t actually compostable in your home compost bin. You can guarantee Compostic products will break down in your home compost within 24 weeks: they are certified home compostable. This means they went through a test by an external auditor and had to pass these requirements:

Break down within 12 weeks in a commercial compost, and 24 weeks in domestic compost conditions - including a worm farm
Once broken down, there were no harmful residues/toxins left behind in the soil
The products enhanced the soil and helped to grow new plants
They contained zero conventional plastic (even the dyes and inks are soy and water based too)

Who makes them?

The products are currently made in China, with the hopes of being able to produce in New Zealand when this fresh start up has grown bigger. Jon, the co-founder, visits the factories where production takes place every year, to ensure the worker standards are all above board (this means ethical pay and treatment). Visiting the factories so regularly is unusual for products of this kind, so I really respect their decision to do this. I look forward to when production can take place more locally!

Without further adieu … my reviews!

Compostic 100% Compostable Cling Wrap

I was worried the compostable-ness of the wrap would mean it wasn’t sticky, but on the contrary, I think it’s more sticky than conventional cling wrap. The roll is green as the wrap has a slight green tinge to it, but aside from that, it looks and works just like the ‘normal’ stuff.

The compostable cling wrap roll is 30 metres long and comes in perforated portions that are approximately 28cm wide. The team chose to have perforated strips instead of a built in cutter because they couldn’t find a solution that was home compostable. If you don’t need the entire perforated portion, it’s super easy to cut it with scissors so you can use only what you need.

Warning: The first perforated strip is a little hard to take off without ripping it in a weird way, but after that, you’re sweet. Here’s what I mean by perforated strips (plus an open shot so you can see what colour the roll is).

The lovely lady I walk with on the beach in the mornings (we don’t walk together since COVID-19 FYI) trialled the wrap for me too. She was one of the ones who kept asking me about eco cling wrap! She found the same issue with the first strip, but loved it so much she used up my whole roll and bought some more- hah!

Compostic 100% Home Compostable Resealable Bags

These bags are perfect. Aside from the fact they stain slightly more than a conventional plastic bag, I have no critique! I predominantly use them to carry an appropriate amount of chips (so I don’t eat a whole bag - don’t worry, I eat Proper Crisps, which also come in a home compostable packet), and store my frozen bananas for making smoothies and banana bread.

The seal is super strong. You know how sometimes zip lock bags seals don’t line up and therefore don’t seal properly? I’ve used several of these bags, and none of them have had any issues with this so far. I haven’t tested the compostability of the zip part yet (which is a much thicker plant based plastic), because I don’t want to waste a good bag. But with everything considered, I’m confident that Compostic are not tricking us!

To date, Compostic have replaced 227,640 metres of conventional cling wrap with compostable stuff.

If you want to trial your own and add to this impressive statistic, head to their list of stockists here.

You’ll find them in most New Worlds, Pak n Saves, several Four Squares, Freshchoices, and Supervalues. Huckleberry and Farrow stock them too!

As a rule, I only work with brands I love, use, and can whole heartedly back. I send the brand a large list of questions to answer first, and trial the product properly before saying yes to anything. This is a sponsored blog (I can't pay my electricity bill with free products), but 100% my own words, photos, and opinion.