Compostable, biodegradable and bio-based are not interchangeable. An industrial EN 13432 certificate does not make a home-compostable consumer claim. Ordinary England workplace food-waste bins stay not accepted for labelled compostable packaging. A dedicated collection is a separate confirmed route. Completing the matrix is not a lawful claim.

Download the blank matrix. This site’s disposal route stays on the component sheet. Recyclable is a different claim. Consumer-claim principles stay on the Code page.

The words are not interchangeable

term is compostable, biodegradable or neither. setting is home, industrial, unspecified or not_applicable. certificate_name is copied from the document, such as EN 13432, or none. Certificate names alone cannot establish coverage or access. evidence_location and coverage_evidence_location are required. component_or_whole is whole_item or named_component.

Industrial certification does not set setting to home. An EN 13432 industrial claim does not establish home compostability. WRAP compostable-plastic packaging guidance treats bio-based, biodegradable and compostable as not interchangeable. A recyclable claim is a different row on the recyclable packaging checklist.

The ASA ruling on Dualit Ltd of 30 April 2025 upheld a paid search ad “Compostable Coffee Bags”. The bags were certified to EN 13432 for industrial composting. In a consumer home-product ad, compostable was understood as home compostable. Disposal information was material and missing. The ruling applies the pre-7-April-2025 CAP Code wording to that assessed ad; those historical rule references are not the current code. Current non-broadcast environmental rules are CAP 11.1 to 11.7. That outcome applies to that ad, not as a ban on the word compostable.

Save a copy of the blank file and type into the copy. The files are plain CSV with no formulas. The same matrix is printed below.

disposal_setting, disposal_route and disposal_audience must be confirmed. disposal_instruction is home_compost, industrial_compost_named_access, residual, dedicated_collection or missing.

england_ordinary_food_waste_bin is not_accepted, not_applicable or unknown and stays separate from dedicated_collection_status (confirmed, not_confirmed or not_used). Do not make an ordinary England workplace food-waste bin accepted by adding an exception note. Dedicated collection is a separate confirmed route. Consumer household routes remain specific to the relevant authority or scheme, not an England-workplace rule projected onto the UK.

Defra workplace recycling guidance for England says packaging labelled compostable or biodegradable cannot be recycled with food waste. Treat it as non-recyclable waste or arrange a dedicated collection. That is England workplace guidance, not a household UK-wide rule on this page.

A qualification cannot repair absent evidence. claim_use is do_not_use_unqualified, waiting or qualified_ready_for_internal_review. The last of those needs matched evidence, a confirmed route and the qualifier next to the claim. It is not permission to publish.

Term Setting Certificate Ordinary England food-waste bin Dedicated collection Use
Compostable Industrial EN 13432 named only Not accepted Not confirmed Waiting
Compostable Industrial EN 13432 with coverage evidence Not accepted Confirmed for that film and workplace Qualified, ready for internal review
Home compostable Home Industrial EN 13432 only Not accepted Not used Do not use unqualified

Worked example: Northgate film

Northgate Services is fictional. Do not copy Dualit’s ad text onto Northgate.

The inner film holds an EN 13432 industrial certificate and no dedicated consumer collection. claim_use is waiting, setting is industrial, disposal_instruction is missing, and the ordinary food-waste bin is not_accepted.

A second row names a dedicated industrial collection confirmed for that film and that workplace, with the qualifier next to the claim. claim_use is qualified_ready_for_internal_review. Completing the row does not establish lawfulness or authorise publication. It is not home compostable, and not ordinary food-waste acceptance.

Limits

This is not a purchasing ranking of materials, not the packaging component sheet, and not a recyclable claim. It is not a UK-wide food-waste rule outside England. Review every assertion in a social post.