It’s true, as Lee Valley says in their catalogue, one of the biggest complaints people have with composting is the build-up of food residues and smells in compost pails that are not cleaned thoroughly. But the bags they offer, compostable bags, help avoid this problem by letting you lift compost cleanly out of its container for disposal.

Made primarily from vegetable oil and cornstarch, these biodegradable beauties begin to break down at about the same rate as other vegetable material when organic matter is present. They hold about 10 litres and should be changed about every 3 to 5 days.