BioBag World Australia has finally launched their industrially* compostable cucumber wrap in partnership with South Australian produce and packaging businesses IG Fresh Produce. The bioplastic film took 12 months to develop and is made from a compostable resin called Mater-Bi that uses substances obtained from plants including non-genetically modified corn starch.It was launched in September as an environmentally friendly alternative to the traditional polyethylene plastic wrap and has already generated export interest from Qatar and South Africa.IG Fresh executive director George Antonas said he was approached by South Australian independent grocer Drakes Supermarkets to develop a compostable fruit and vegetable wrap to replace traditional shrink-wrap. While there are other compostable products on the market, Antonas said creating a 100 per cent industrially compostable cucumber wrap required a unique process. "That’s where Scott Morton’s expertise came into it – because it’s heat shrunk onto the cucumber. There’s plenty of compostable products out there but this one is for a specific purpose,” Antonas said.“There’s a big push to make all single use packaging compostable. So, you buy a cucumber, you peel off the wrapper and you put it in your greens bin and you know it’s not going to add to landfill. Cucumbers are shrink wrapped because wrapping extends their life significantly by minimising evaporation. *Note from BioBag: The film is certified industrial, but it will still break down anywhere there’s oxygen and microorganisms including a home compost bin even though it’s not certified home compostable. Many councils with FOGO bins would allow it but people need to check with their local council. I know it would break down quickly in my home compost because all of the BioBag films do!