There's a new green company in town. Dsolv Bags, based out of Columbus Ohio, makes compost friendly lawn waste bags. They offered me a starter set to test during my fall leaf cleanup.

I opened the starter set carrying case to find a collapsible funnel, 8 polymer mesh dsolv bags and a bag handle.

On the first try, I ripped one of the dsolv bags trying to fit it around the funnel/sleeve. Oops. Once I got the hang of it I expanded the funnel inside the bag and began filling with leaves. I experienced no ripping from then on.

The bags hold more leaves than a standard paper leaf bag and were far easier to fill. Once the bag was full, I slipped out the sleeve and tied the top. I didn't need the handle to drag the full bag through our tiny front yard but I could see it being useful if I was hauling greater distances.

Rain caused an early end to my dsolv testing session. I was able to fit the funnel and extra bags into the carrying case in a few minutes flat.

I did not test whether the bags decompose in my home compost bin. Their product information states the bags break down in six months under ideal conditions. I've already established that my compost bin is NOT ideal, so I'll stick with dumping in layers of leaves sans bags and leaving the dsolv bags for yard waste pickup service.

I was a little concerned that the leaf pickup workers would not recognize the bags, but they collected them without any hesitation.

I admit that my usual leaf raking habit is to work a little at a time and fill up my two forever reusable yard waste trash cans weekly. There are times of the year, though, when I do a big yard cleanup and use a few paper leaf bags. Now that I have the dsolv starter system ($19.99), I will buy refills ($6.99 for 8 bags) because they are easier to use, bigger than standard bags, and compact to store. Dsolv bags are currently available in limited retail locations and online with plans to expand into wider markets next spring.

Disclosure: Dsolv gave me a starter set. My opinions are my own.