Composting is the natural recycling of organic waste, while it’s a seemingly simple concept, the world of composting can be full of confusion. People often use the terms ‘biodegradable’ and ‘compostable’ interchangeably – although they’re not the same thing, find out more in Composting for Beginners. In Australia, products claiming to be home compostable must be certified to meet Australian standards. Standards Australia has released the Draft Standard DR AS 5810:2026 Biodegradable products suitable for home composting, for Public Comment until 15 December 2026. The document specifies requirements and procedures to determine the composability of items and materials intended to be composted at home assessing their composition, biodegradation, disintegration and ecotoxicity. It specifies test methods and acceptance criteria to enable certification bodies to validate and if appropriate to support claims.
Standards Australia encourages views and input from a wide cross section of the public on a draft publication during the Public Comment stage. Create a free account when you Login to Drafts Open for Public Comment and search for DR AS 5810:2026 Biodegradable products suitable for home composting . More information on How to Open, Browse, and Comment on a draft standards in the Standards Australia Public Comment Portal Guide. Public Comment closes on 15 December 2026.
Consumers Federation of Australia (CFA) engages with these issues by supporting a representative to the Standards Australia committee EV-017 Degradability of materials intended for organics recycling which revised the standard. Find out more about the CFA Standards Project and how to get involved. Anyone can view an Australian standard FREE in the Standards Australia – Reader Room, after registering you will have access to three (3) unique standards in one calendar year, with unlimited access to each standard for a 24-hour period, find out more on this video.
Clean Up Australia has information about compostable and biodegradable plastics.