Bags made from biodegradable materials for collecting organic household waste have been available on the market for several years. Now researchers in a large-scale pilot study have conducted an extensive investigation into whether these bags fully decompose. In addition, this — the first of its kind — study also took a look into the consumers interest in using biode-gradable bags. The project was coordinated by the Fraunhofer ICT in collaboration with the University of Bayreuth, the University of Hohenheim and BEM Umweltservice GmbH. The results are in: For numerous reasons, the researchers are not currently recommending the use of biodegradable organic waste bags.