<p>Adding pomegranate peel powder (PPP) to starch films provides antibacterial properties and improves the films’ physical properties. In this study, before incorporating the PPP into the film-forming solution, planetary ball milling of the PPP was applied to achieve a finer particle size and a narrower particle size distribution. The highest tensile strength (TS) value was achieved with the addition of 0.35% (w/w) of PPP, resulting in a ~ 29% increase compared to the PPP-free starch film. When 0.35% (w/w) of PPP was added to the starch film, the degree of swelling decreased from 165.59 ± 9.74% to 151.66 ± 7.33%. However, at higher PPP concentrations, there was an increase in swelling due to the agglomeration of PPP. Specifically, as the concentration of PPP in starch increased from 0.7% to 1.5%, the swelling degree showed an upward trend. PPP reinforcement results in a significant increase in the solubility of the starch film. The water solubility of the films increased from 18.25 ± 0.58% to 27.99 ± 0.79% with the increasing amount of PPP reinforcement in the starch film. Water vapor permeability of the pure starch film was&#xa0;1.87 ± 0.51 × 10^–10 gm⁻¹&#xa0;s⁻¹&#xa0;Pa⁻¹ and rised to 2.02 ± 0.27 × 10^–10 gm⁻¹&#xa0;s⁻¹&#xa0;Pa⁻¹ with increasing amounts of PPP. The PPP reinforcement resulted in a notable increase in the contact angle of the starch film. The pure starch film revealed a contact angle of 20.40 ± 6.11°. However, when 0.35% PPP was added, the contact angle increased to 27.89 ± 1.46°. With further addition of PPP, up to 1.5%, the contact angle increased significantly to 48.47 ± 4.79°. The films exhibited a high antibacterial activity against <i>Staphylococcus aureus.</i></p> Graphical abstract <p></p>