Sun Chips Bag-05-21-10

Jennifer S
#1. May 25th, 2010, at 5:23 PM.

I shredded a bag and put it into my Worm Inn several weeks ago. So far there are still sparkle strips in the bin, but I haven’t really inspected more than that. If they are still sparkly when I put them into the garden that will be fine with me.

Red Icculus
#2. May 25th, 2010, at 11:19 PM.

My Sunchips bag is a month and a half in as far as composting and the only thing different is that the color has faded a bit. Are their claims a bit lofty? I tend to think so.

Michael from Roanoke
#3. May 26th, 2010, at 1:09 AM.

Dear Bentley, I was just wondering if you set up a control and hot-composted a Sunchip bag? It seems by the pictures on the back that that’s what the bag’s designers had in mind. I can think of plenty of items that my worms can go through slowly but that they absolutely devour after some traditional composting. As always, thanks for your wonderful and informative site.

Robert
#4. May 26th, 2010, at 3:02 AM.

Bentley,

Great article. Basic but great. If fast food company’s are going to make it easier for consumer to compost, somebody should find out if their claims are true. If not it’s just more lipstick on the “piggie”.

You get me thinking and I’m wanting to do the same experiment now with soldier grubs and a bag of sun chips in a BioPod and see it speeds up the process more.

Anyway… I do believe they need to also make sure the food itself can decompose, as I hear McDonalds happy meals can take over a year:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1258913/Happy-1st-birthday-Mother-keeps-McDonalds-Happy-Meal-year–gone-off.html

Cheers

Mary
#6. May 26th, 2010, at 5:52 PM.

I put my Sun Chips bag in my worm trench 5 weeks ago and just checked it a few days ago. No change in the bag. I’ve now put it into my compost tumbler to see if the heat well help it along. With the 90 degree days we’ve had here, hopefully it will start to break down soon.
Hmmm….90 degree days, good for Tumbler composting, not so good for a 60 degree weather fan.

Anna
#7. May 29th, 2010, at 12:19 AM.

I reported on the first Sun Chip post that my bag had decomposed in about 6 weeks in my hot compost pile. However, I just turned my pile again and found it in nearly perfect condition–there’s just one singe mark on it.

LARRY D.
#8. May 30th, 2010, at 1:40 AM.

I saw somewhere you can compost a paper mate pen if you remove the ink.And a target gift card.I think i’ll try that.Those bags are like nails on a chaulkboard to a snacker like me!

Mary
#9. June 18th, 2010, at 6:42 PM.

My Pre-K class also placed a Sun Chip bag in our garden and buried it. We have worms in there but not a lot. We checked after 4 weeks and it looked exactly like it did when we buried it. The students were disappointed since I had read the bag’s claim to them. I haven’t checked since mid-May when school was out. We have had a hot wet summer. I wonder if the weather conditions affect the decomposing any?
Mary
teacher for the Rosey Rabbits Class

Aura
#10. June 25th, 2010, at 7:37 PM.

Given the average amount of “spin” commonly used in advertising claims…
I wouldn’t be surprised if “using a flame thrower to reduce something to ashes, then burying the ashes in the garden” might be legitimately used to justify claims of “biodegradable” via a “hot composting” method!

Barb V.
#11. June 26th, 2010, at 9:17 PM.

I put a bag in my in-ground pit on May 20. As of today, it looks about like the picture you provide. Mine has some blotches. When I scrape away the layer of black castings, a some of the silver part is gone. But this sucker looks like it is going to last for a looooong time! I thought my amped-up California Reds would make short work of that flimsey stuff. ‘Course they’ve had water melon and other summer fruit to distract them. So how are your Great Northern Reds doing?

sophie
#12. January 31st, 2011, at 10:00 AM.

okay, so for a science project i decomposed sunchip bags too and got the same sort of discoloration. i don’t think its fungi… i think the decomposition process is beginning, but only on the surface of the bag.