Biodegradable

FloodSax alternative sandbags are a far more environmentally-friendly way to stop flooding than traditional sandbags.

Here’s why.

FloodSax are around 96% biodegradable by weight and are known as sandless sandbags because, well, they don’t have any sand in them.

Sandbags are full of one of the earth’s natural resources but can also rapidly deteriorate and the spilled sand is then notoriously hard to clean up, clogs up drains and can cause more environmental damage.

Traditional sandbags also have to be thrown away after they’ve come into contact with floodwater which is always contaminated but, unlike FloodSax, they are not biodegradable.

And, unlike sandbags, FloodSax are flexible and multi-functional so in their dry state they have a large yet very thin surface area so can be deployed inside to soak up drips, leaks, spills and floods to prevent expensive-to-repair damage. They are ideal for hard-to-reach places such as under boilers and beneath pipes.

To use them as flood barriers outside they harness the power of water to stop water. Simply immerse them in water and the gelling polymer inside absorbs up to 20 litres of water to make them as heavy as traditional sandbags but they are more uniform in size so can be easier to move and build into highly effective flood barriers.

FloodSax are vacuum-packed for neat, easy storage with one box of 20 equal to 20 sandbags on a pallet.

Hundreds can be taken to the scene by one person in a car and thousands transported in a van. This vastly reduces the carbon footprint of transporting the FloodSax.

Ordinary sandbags are heavy and take up vast amounts of storage space in large warehouses, using up land and construction materials to build along with expensive energy to light and heat, especially now as energy costs have spiralled out of control.

Ordinary sandbags need large vehicles such as trucks to take them anywhere at another cost to the environment. This includes the vehicle’s engines churning out carbon monoxide which is toxic to humans and carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas which is thought to be a major contributory factor to climate change.

Delivering FloodSax is two-thirds cleaner to the environment than delivering sandbags.

One pallet will contain 480 FloodSax and the cost to the environment is 59g of CO2 per km while one pallet of sandbags is just 50 bags and the cost to the environment is 184g per km.

A full truck load of FloodSax weighs 5,760kg with a cost to the environment of 481g per km.

A full truck load of sandbags weighs 18,000kg and the cost to the environment is 1,504g per km.

The damage caused by any kind of flood can be astronomical with insurance claims from floods typically 37 times greater than from burglaries. The typical average claim after a flood is $25,000- $75,000 for homes and $70,000-$150,000 for businesses.

Yet spending around $84 on a bag or $336 on a box of floodsax would provide sufficient protection to prevent thousands of dollars flood damage to homes and businesses.

Stopping a flood using FloodSax would save all the cost of repairs and the vast amount of raw materials needed to do the full renovation … materials which have rocketed in price recently.

FloodSax have been designed to be largely biodegradable and can go into landfill or be repurposed in the garden to help your plants retain water!

Most of the inner material within a FloodSax – the gelling polymer and wood pulp – is biodegradable.

The most environmentally-friendly way to deal with the FloodSax is to slice it open, drop the gelling polymer inners into your household rubbish bin and then incinerate the outer cover which has nylon stitching and is made from a nylon polymer material.

Once buried 6ft or more, the gelling polymer inside the FloodSax should break down within 3 months.

In Yorkshire, one of the UK’s leading Green Party politicians is using FloodSax in his council ward to protect businesses and homes from flooding. To read the full story click here.

To read more about why FloodSax alternative sandbags are way better than traditional sandbags click here.

Repurposing Floodsax in the garden to help Plants retain water

Did you know that you can use the floodsax in the garden to help your trees and plants retain water? If you don’t wish to use them anymore simply cut the floodsax open and bury the contents into your plant pots or around the roots of trees. They will help the plants retain water sources for longer espcially in months when it is extremely hot and no rain, it will help plants not dry out.

 

Can you Reuse Floodsax?

After the flood – Floodsax can be reused if they have not been contaminated with sewage water or chemicals such as fuel from floodwater that came into contact with car engines etc.

Simply place the floodsax out on sunny days to dry leaving space between each floodsax for air to circulate. It might be an idea to turn them once in a while.

Things to note –

Given floodsax hold just under 6 gallons of water it will take time for the water to evaporate. So you have to be patient. If it is also extremely humid this will also affect the drying time.

Each floodsax will shrink but they won’t shrink down to their original size but close enough.

If you have your floodsax out to dry and it rains the floodsax will reactivate and fill with water to become a flood defense system. So it’s best to keep them out of the rain if you’re trying to dry them for reuse another time.

If you touch the floodsax after they have been activated they may have a slimy texture / feel. This is normal and part of the polymer process. It is not toxic and not harmful to the environment.