Choose based on where your bag will actually be processed: compostable if it will reach an industrial compost system that accepts certified compostable plastics, recyclable if you have access to clean mono-film drop-off recycling. Labels alone don’t guarantee either outcome will work in your area, so check your local access before you buy or toss. The sections below walk through the label rules and give you a step-by-step disposal checklist.
TL;DR:
- Compostable bags require industrial compost facilities with certified standards like ASTM D6400, which are not available everywhere.
- Most pet food bags are multilayer laminates that cannot be recycled or composted through typical programs, and only single-layer PE bags are suitable for store drop-off recycling.
- Proper disposal involves thoroughly emptying and cleaning bags to prevent contamination, which can undermine recycling or composting efforts.
- Compatibility with local facilities is critical, as recycling is only viable where curbside programs exist and allow for flexible films, and composting depends on nearby certified operations.
- Choosing eco-friendly options is most effective when combining lightweighting, recycled content, and local access rather than relying solely on labels or certifications.
Table of Contents
- What do “compostable,” “recyclable,” and “biodegradable” actually mean?
- What are pet food bags actually made from?
- What really happens to the bag after disposal?
- What do FTC label rules actually require?
- What does the research say about PE versus compostable alternatives?
- How do you decide between compostable and recyclable packaging?
- How should you prepare and dispose of a used pet food bag?
- How does our packaging approach fit into this picture?
- A pragmatic take on pet food packaging
- Thinking about your next bag of food?
- FAQ
- Sources
What do “compostable,” “recyclable,” and “biodegradable” actually mean?
These three words get used almost interchangeably on packaging, but they describe very different outcomes.
- Compostable means a material breaks down into usable soil nutrients, either at home (slow, low heat) or in an industrial facility (fast, high heat). A bag can be certified compostable and still need conditions most backyards never reach.
- Recyclable is access-based under FTC guidance: a bag is only fairly called recyclable where facilities to actually process it exist nearby.
- Biodegradable is a looser marketing term with no required timeline or end state. A bag can technically “biodegrade” over decades and still legally carry that word.
The practical takeaway: read past the headline word and look for a certification, a timeframe, or a qualifier like “where facilities exist.”
What are pet food bags actually made from?
The material tells you more than the marketing copy does. Compostable pet food pouches typically use PLA (plant-based plastic) or certified compostable films that meet ASTM D6400 or similar standards. Recyclable pouches are usually mono-PE (a single layer of polyethylene), which store drop-off programs can process because it’s one consistent material.
The problem is most pet food bags aren’t either of those. They’re multilayer laminated pouches, often PE or PET bonded to foil or nylon for moisture and grease barriers. That lamination is exactly what makes a bag shelf-stable and exactly what blocks both composting and recycling.
- Look for a mono-material label or symbol stating the bag is single-layer PE.
- Check for a How2Recycle store drop-off icon, which signals film-specific collection, not curbside.
- Look for an ASTM D6400 or EN 13432 compostable certification mark rather than the word “compostable” alone.
What really happens to the bag after disposal?
Where your pet food bag ends up depends less on the label and more on your local infrastructure.
- Landfill: Most flexible pouches that aren’t captured by a drop-off or compost program end up here. Conventional plastics degrade extremely slowly in landfill conditions, and even “compostable” plastics may not break down without the heat and microbial activity of an active compost pile.
- Curbside recycling: Flexible films almost always fail here. Mechanical sorting equipment at most material recovery facilities is built for rigid containers, and thin film jams or contaminates the stream, per flexible packaging research.
- Store drop-off: This is where clean mono-PE bags belong. These programs collect film separately for specialized processing, but they reject anything laminated, food-soiled, or mixed-material.
- Industrial composting: Facilities that accept compostable plastics exist, but not everywhere, and they vary in what they’ll take. The EPA notes that contamination from non-compostable packaging is a persistent problem for these operations.
Food and oil residue is the common thread that ruins outcomes across all four paths. A greasy bag can disqualify an otherwise recyclable film and contaminate an otherwise accepting compost stream.
What do FTC label rules actually require?
The FTC Green Guides set the rules brands are supposed to follow when they print “compostable” or “recyclable” on a bag.
- An unqualified compostable claim needs competent scientific evidence and should be qualified if industrial facilities aren’t available to a substantial majority of consumers.
- An unqualified recyclable claim requires that facilities be accessible to at least 60% of consumers; below that threshold, the claim should carry a qualifier.
- Common qualifying phrases to watch for include “check locally,” “not recyclable in all areas,” or “industrially compostable only.”
The FTC’s access threshold for recycling facility availability is the key number here, established in the Green Guides: below that level of facility access, a brand is supposed to qualify its recyclable claim rather than state it outright. If a bag you’re holding makes an unqualified claim and you know your area lacks the facilities, that’s worth asking the brand about directly.
What does the research say about PE versus compostable alternatives?
The honest answer is that neither material wins outright once you account for the full life cycle. A 2026 life cycle assessment found that lightweight single-use polyethylene packaging, especially with recycled content, often shows a lower environmental impact than many single-use alternatives when you measure production, transport, and end-of-life together.
Compostable materials carry their own costs: they can require more energy to produce, and they frequently get rejected at facilities when contamination or incompatible processing conditions get in the way. That doesn’t mean compostable packaging is a bad choice, it means the environmental benefit depends heavily on whether the bag actually reaches a facility built to handle it.
- Lightweighting (using less material per bag) and recycled content often move the needle more reliably than switching materials.
- Industry groups like the Flexible Film Recycling Alliance are piloting expanded film collection programs, which could widen recyclable access over time.
Pro Tip: Before assuming a compostable bag is the greener pick, check whether your area’s compost facility actually accepts it. A recyclable mono-film bag with real drop-off access often performs better in practice.
How do you decide between compostable and recyclable packaging?
Work through this in order, and the right choice becomes obvious fast.
- Does an industrial compost facility near you accept certified compostable plastics? If yes, and the bag carries an ASTM D6400 or EN 13432 mark, compostable is your answer.
- If not, is the bag mono-PE and reasonably clean? If yes, look up a store drop-off location, often at a grocery chain, and recycle it there.
- If neither applies, prioritize bags with lighter weight or recycled content, or check for a brand take-back program or TerraCycle option. Reducing what goes in the bag in the first place beats chasing an end-of-life path that doesn’t exist locally.
Pro Tip: When a brand’s packaging page doesn’t say where to recycle or compost, email them and ask directly about take-back programs or recycled-content percentages. That answer tells you more than the label does.
How should you prepare and dispose of a used pet food bag?
A few simple habits prevent your good intentions from contaminating someone else’s compost or recycling stream.
- Empty and scrape the bag dry. Residue is the number one reason clean-looking programs reject otherwise good film.
- Wipe oily spots if your drop-off or compost program requires it; check their posted guidelines.
- Route certified compostable bags to your industrial compost program if it accepts them; otherwise keep food scraps separate from the packaging itself.
- Use store drop-off for clean mono-film, or a brand take-back or TerraCycle program for laminated pouches, where available.
- When you’re not sure, throw it away. A contaminated bag in a compost or recycling stream can spoil an entire batch, so trash is sometimes the lower-harm choice.
How does our packaging approach fit into this picture?
We build freeze-dried raw dog food from human-grade, whole ingredients that meet AAFCO standards, and that shelf-stable format changes the packaging equation. Because freeze-dried meals don’t need refrigeration, there’s no ice pack, foam cooler, or frozen-shipping waste layered on top of the bag itself, and shelf stability also reduces spoiled food waste at home. We share more on how we think about packaging trade-offs in our post on compostable dog food bags and our roadmap to eco-friendly packaging.
A pragmatic take on pet food packaging
We’d rather you pick the option your local system can actually process than chase a label that sounds greener. Call your composter, check your drop-off directory, and when a brand’s packaging claim is unclear, ask them directly.
— Kristina
Thinking about your next bag of food?
If you’re weighing sustainable packaging alongside what you feed your dog, we’d invite you to look at what we offer. Our Freeze Dried Raw Chicken in 14oz and 5oz sizes are made from human-grade ingredients with no fillers, and we also carry Beef and Turkey + Salmon lines.
- Shelf-stable freeze-dried format means less packaging waste tied to refrigeration or ice packs.
- Our Halo Club membership offers Annual Membership at $79.99 per year or Monthly Membership at $10.99 per month, with free shipping perks built in.
- Standard shipping runs $7.99 and express shipping $14.99 per our shipping page, if you’d rather order one-time.
If sustainable packaging and real, whole-ingredient nutrition both matter to you, consider starting with a bag and seeing how your dog responds.
FAQ
Is compostable better than recyclable?
Neither is automatically better. The FTC Green Guides and 2026 life cycle research both point to local access and material weight mattering more than the label itself. Choose compostable only where certified facilities exist near you, and recyclable only where clean mono-film drop-off is available.
Are pet food bags recyclable?
Most pet food bags are laminated, multilayer pouches that curbside recycling programs can’t process, according to flexible packaging research. A smaller number are mono-PE film, which can go through store drop-off recycling if clean and dry.
Do compostable bags release microplastics?
Compostable plastics are designed to break down fully under the right conditions rather than fragment into persistent microplastics, but the EPA notes that contamination issues arise when these materials end up in facilities not equipped to process them. Outside proper composting conditions, their breakdown behavior is less predictable.
What are the drawbacks of biodegradable bags?
“Biodegradable” has no required timeline or certification standard, so a bag can carry that label while taking years to break down. It can also be visually mistaken for a certified compostable bag, which leads to contamination at compost facilities that reject it.
Sources
- Environmental Claims: Summary of the Green Guides | Federal Trade Commission
- Composting | US EPA
- Exa
- Economic and environmental feasibility of recycling flexible plastic packaging from single stream collection | OSTI
