Trash Bag Reviews and Buying Guide:

Everyone needs to buy trash bags, but which ones actually stand up to their claims of not ripping open when overstuffed. Like any family in America, we go through a lot of trash each week and our kitchen trash can is always full of food scraps, used paper napkins, and other items. We do our best to recycle as much trash as possible (glass, cardboard, paper) but we almost always have a full trash can for the garbage guys each week. We buy our kitchen trash bags at Costco in bulk since we know throughout the year we are going to use 100's of them. Just recently we've been introduced to the recycled plastic bags from Seventh Generation and also have found the biodegradable in some stores. Environmentally, we should all be concerned with dumping our waste on Earth, but plastic has a hard time breaking down. Even the biodegradable bags aren't all they are cracked up to be in terms of being "environmentally friendly". These bags need sunlight and plenty of fresh air to actually degrade but how much of that will they be getting when buried under piles of junk in a dump. The idea is good, but the end result is probably no better than the traditional plastic bags that most of us use.

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You'll find manufacturers like Glad marketing words like "reinforced", "extra strength", and "non-rip" on their packaging, but that is not always the case. In many reviews that we read online and in magazines, it appears that almost everyone has run into a ripped trash bag or two in their lifetime. Even the best brands have their issues which makes us think that all that fancy marketing talk is just advertising in disguise. Many consumers claim to be pretty lazy with taking the garbage out and they tend to only do it when the bag is almost comletely full. At that point the odds of getting a tear or rip are increased dramatically as the bag is pushed to the limits. If you fill your bags about 4/5's of the way to the top, then they are a lot of less likely to break open on the sides. Most bags come with either a twist tie or drawstring top so that you can conveniently close them up before putting them in your outdoor trash can. Drawstrings are a lot easier to close up although some people say you can fit more in the bags when using the twist tie variety. When it comes to store brands like those seen in Costco (Kirkland) or Safeway, they do very well when compared to the competition of big name brands. Firstly, they are always going to be cheaper since the store owns the shelf space and can place their product in front of your eyes for much cheaper than Glad or Hefty bags. Secondly, their overall performance for the money is "worth it" say most consumers. I have tried using all sorts of trash bags in my kitchen garbage over the years, and the Kirkland brand from Costco seems to hold up just fine. You can go with the more expensive "green bags" or Hefty Ultra Flex, but you may not find a tougher, stronger bag. Some cost as much as $.30 a bag which seems really high. The Kirkland brand from Costco gives you 200 drawstring trash bags (13 gallon size) for about half that amount. Consumer Reports periodically does reviews on the trash bags but they haven't done one in quite a few years, which means all the latest bags aren't included in their results. Real Simple did a good review of tall kitchen trash bags and their findings where that the Glad Forceflex Tall Kitchen Bags were the clear winner. You get roughly 20 bags for $4 ($.20/bag). The Hefty Cinchsak Ultra Tall Kitchen Bags came in a close second and they were a bit more expensive per unit. Our final thought is that trash bags are just "trash bags" and it's hard for any manufacturer to make them better than the other brands. You can be Earth friendly and go with the recycled plastic bags or even try the biodegradable ones, but ultimately we all need to cut down on our trash usage and keep our planet free of plastics that take forever to breakdown in the soil.

Best Trash Bags:

When it comes to trash bags of any type, it seems that the two names most often mentioned are Glad and Hefty. Hefty Ultra Flex gets the nod although even these "tough" bags can't always hold up when stuffed with sharp objects. The Ultra Flex trash bags sell for about $10 for 38 13-gallon bags. The bags are 20% thicker than most 30 gallon tall kitchen bags and the Interlocking Texture Design is what gives them their added strength. Hefty also has Puncture Protection so that you can avoid almost all rips and tears. Consumers are creatures of habit and most of reach for Glad or Hefty because we know the name so well, but tests do show that other, less expensive brands, perform almost the same and are much cheaper. You can stick with Hefty or Glad, but you should at least try another brand once to see how you like it. You can find Hefty bags in stores like Target, Wal-Mart, or your local supermarket or grocery store.

Best Value Trash Bags:

Kirkland Trash Bags from Costco get our pick for the best budget kitchen trash bags on the market. They are cheaper than the competition to begin with and hold up rather well even when stuffed with trash. You can get a package with 200 drawstring 13 gallon bags at about 30% off the price you will pay for the premium brands from Glad or Hefty. Buying in bulk also helps, but overall the performance of the bag is what matters and most consumers were satisfied with the store brand from Costco. Another brand worth mentioning is the America's Choice (Wal-Mart) which gets good feedback from shoppers in many reviews. Just don't overfill them too much or else tears and rips may happen.

Recycled Trash Bags:

There's no doubt that the average American consumer goes through too much plastic each year and recycling is one way to help our planet. Seventh Generation is an Earth friendly brand that makes trash bags from recycled plastic to help save energy and reduce pollution. The bags comes in drawstring or twist tie and have 20 to 30 bags. I read some of the reviews for this product online and most owners say the trash bags hold up just fine. One person even when so far as to dump the contents of the bags into her outside garbage can and reuse the indoor trash bag over again. That may be too smelly for most of us, but others feel like that is one way they can help save our landfills from being inundated with plastics.

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