A WELL-established South Australian vegetable and fruit supplier has adopted biodegradable plastic bags for its in-store produce.
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The family-owned GD Wholesale Fruit and Vegetable Supplies at Hawthorndene has been in operation for more than 60 years.
With concerns over the amount of plastic used to present and package up fresh produce, the business turned to biodegradable plastic maker, Biogone.
Biogone created two customised products for GD; the 1kg and 2kg fruit and vegetable bag.
They are a clear material, have holes in the bag so produce can breathe, and are printed with "landfill biodegradable".
The store's fruit and vegetables have already been prepacked and costed, making for easier shopping for customers.
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Past measures saw GD Wholesale use conventional plastic bags and plastic wrap to display the produce.
The business keeps produce under constant temperature control for optimal produce.
GD Wholesale packs produce into bags, and products are displayed in refrigeration units thereby allowing customers to shop directly from the fridges.
According to the business, this system reduces food waste due to minimal handling and spoilage thus saving vast amounts of otherwise wasted energy.
GD Wholesale co-owners Trudy and Ben Nankervis began researching alternatives to the plastic they used in their business.
The catalyst for change was listening to customers concerned about plastic use.
"We have seen many of our customers, who have been concerned about our past plastic use, really embrace our decision to using Biogone," Ms Nankervis said.
"We think this is especially important for the plastic to be able to biodegrade in landfill, as many of the soft plastic recycling options are now not available in South Australia.
"It is also see-through allowing us to check and maintain the quality of our fruit and vegetables unlike many of the other solutions in the market."
Biogone's landfill-biodegradable plastic features an organic additive, which accelerates the rate at which the plastics will biodegrade when in a landfill, allowing naturally occurring microbes in to consume the plastic, resulting in biogas and humus (natural fertiliser).
As it is a biodegradation process, Biogone plastics also do not fragment into microplastics which can leave microplastics in the environment.
"Biogone plastic bags give our produce a long shelf life and maintains that food security which our customers value," Ms Nankervis said.
GD Wholesale has also started using Biogone's range of landfill biodegradable bin liners, biodegradable clear packing tape for their shipping requirements and Biogone's blue nitrile gloves to handle their fruit and vegetables.
"We are confident that handpicking Biogone has their biodegradable produce bags and plastic wrap business of choice was the best decision in moving forward to be a more sustainably conscious business. You don't have to be a big business to make mammoth steps," Ms Nankervis said.
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