What Is AS5810? Australia's Home Compostable Certification Standard Explained

AS5810 is the Australian Standard for home compostable packaging — developed by Standards Australia to define performance requirements for packaging intended to break down in domestic composting environments. It sits alongside AS4736 (industrial compostable) in Australia's suite of compostable materials standards. The two standards together define what manufacturers must demonstrate across different end-of-life environments.

AS5810 exists because 'compostable' without qualification is not a meaningful technical claim. Industrial composting conditions — sustained high temperatures, controlled humidity — are fundamentally different from a domestic compost bin. A material that breaks down in an industrial facility may not break down in a home compost bin. The standard provides a testable, independently verifiable benchmark for home compostable claims.

Standards Australia publishes AS5810 as the formal standard document. Certification and programme administration in Australia is managed by ABAP — the Australasian Bioplastics Association — which lists certified products in a publicly accessible database. For how home and industrial compostable differ in practice, see the Home vs Industrial Compostable guide.

AS5810 is one of the more demanding home compostability standards globally — this wording is accurate and defensible. The table below places it alongside other key international standards for reference.

AS5810 specifies technical requirements covering disintegration, ecotoxicity, and material composition. On disintegration, at least 90% of the packaging material — by dry weight — must pass through a 2mm sieve within a defined period when composted at temperatures representative of home composting conditions. The temperature ranges and durations reflect realistic domestic composting, not idealised laboratory or industrial conditions.

On ecotoxicity, the compost produced during testing must meet plant germination and growth criteria — the resulting material must be neutral or beneficial to plant growth. Packaging that technically disintegrates but leaves phytotoxic residues will not pass. On composition, certain additives or substances harmful in a composting environment are restricted.

These requirements together make AS5810 meaningful: it tests performance under conditions home compost bins actually experience, and it tests the safety of the resulting compost, not just the rate of breakdown. Because home composting environments lack the sustained heat of an industrial facility, AS5810 testing is generally considered more demanding than industrial compostable certification.

ABAP administers the certification programme for compostable packaging in Australia under both AS5810 (home) and AS4736 (industrial). Manufacturers submit products to third-party testing. ABAP issues certification once testing is passed and lists certified products in a publicly available database, which brands and retailers can use to verify claims independently.

ABAP certification allows brands to use the seedling logo on packaging — with home compostable or industrial compostable designation — as visual evidence that the claim has been verified by a third party. For brands purchasing compostable packaging, requesting ABAP certification documentation from the supplier is the appropriate verification step. A credible supplier should provide the ABAP certificate or direct you to the public database listing, and the certificate should specify whether it is AS5810 or AS4736.

Certification is product-specific. When a manufacturer certifies a specific mailer specification to AS5810, that certification applies to that specific product — its material composition, thickness, and construction. A different size or material variant is not automatically covered. Always confirm the certificate applies to the exact product you are purchasing.

For ecommerce brands, AS5810 certification means the home compostable claim is verifiable, documented, and backed by third-party testing. This matters commercially — retailers in sustainable product categories increasingly expect certification documentation. It matters regulatorily — the ACCC applies Australian Consumer Law to packaging claims, and unverified compostable claims are an area of active scrutiny. And it matters for customers — certification is the mechanism through which the environmental benefit is made credible.

The practical implication: when purchasing compostable packaging, always request the ABAP certification number or certificate. Confirm whether it is AS5810 (home) or AS4736 (industrial). Match your disposal instructions and marketing claims to the specific certification. If a supplier cannot provide documentation, or if documentation is unclear about which standard applies, that is a significant red flag. For custom branded compostable packaging, the custom mailers enquiry page is the starting point.