My Solution to Garbage Bags....

NYC just started a compost program where you drop your bag of compost into an app-controlled trash (compost) can -- WHICH IS LINED WITH A THICK PLASTIC BAG. I was so happy about the expanded composting, so sad when I saw them picking up the compost.

I try not to use garbage bags as well. I use the green home compostable bags in my garbage can and empty it into the large garbage can. Once the bag starts to get dirty I place it in a bucket to shred into small pieces and home compost it. It’s more work for me to do it this way, but it makes me feel better that I’m not contributing to the plastic issue. I spend more money on compostable or biodegradable products but at the end it’s worth it. I don’t use clay cat litter and I use my own cotton grocery bags. I also buy as much grocery products in glass as I can so I can recycle. I’m all in for products with no plastic so I appreciate Etee! I’m looking forward to more plastic free products from your company!

Your wife ought to be used to you by now, but quit waking her up!

The trash company we use requests all trash be put in trash bags that go into the large, wheeled, lidded trash can we "rent" from them. It's called a "toter." Some of their trucks have the arm that grabs and dumps the cans, other trucks do not. I think bagging all the trash is to protect the trash men and women from coming into direct contact with the trash and garbage as much as possible. The toters are used in my area to keep animals from ripping the trash bags apart. You can't just put out a trash bag.

We don't have recycling in my area. I drive 31 miles north, one way, to recycle all the plastic bottles the husband goes through. (Plus the few I generate). God forbid he use a reusable cup or bottle. He HAS to have his chocky milk in the pint bottles! Plus all the sports drinks he goes through. Two or three a day. You can't find those in anything but plastic bottles.

Part of that is due to his Rheumatoid Arthritis. Some days he just can't eat, but he can drink his sports drinks and his protein shake things.

Part of it is him being an obstinate, contrary, bull-headed, pain in my ... neck.

I've written to the companies to please put their drinks in aluminum cans, but they ignore me.

I have tried to reduce plastic use in other areas as much as I can so far. A lot of this "green" stuff is very expensive. To BE green, you have to HAVE green (money), ya know?

When I take the plastic bottles to be recycled (allegedly. I don't actually trust the company that handles that), I haul them in plastic trash bags and dump them out of the bags. I then reuse the bags.

For scooping out the cat litter, I buy biodegradable, vegetable-based bags for that. Which then go into the larger trash bags.

I sort and store paper, junk mail, catalogs, etc., and haul them the 30 miles along with the plastic bottles.

I have reusable grocery bags I take with me every time I go grocery shopping. Husband refuses to use them. So I store all those flimsy plastic bags he brings home and take them back to the grocery store to shove in their recycle bin.

Metal food cans, etc., get washed out, stored, and hauled 10 miles the other way to the junk yard. 5 cents a pound for "number 2" steel. They take the cans in those clear recycle bags.

Because the husband is a thorn in my side when it comes to recycling, I buy water in aluminum cans, since filtered tap water isn't good enough for him. Those cans are stored until I have a bagful, then I take them to the junk yard, as well. 25 cents per pound for aluminum. They also take those in the clear recycle bags.

Because the husband is a pain, we pay extra to the trash company for the huge toter can because I know as soon as I'm dead, all recycling will cease and he'll need that huge toter trash can for all the trash that he will then generate.

I also buy a few boxes from Terracycle to recycle some stuff. Terracycle recycles practically everything, but I just can't afford it. Terracycle works by having separate boxes for different kinds of items. You buy the box. They ship it to you "free." You fill the box with the particular item, then ship it back to them. The shipping is "free."

What's needed are sturdy, strong trash bags that are truly biodegradable.

What we really need, I think, are incinerators that can burn trash, cleanly, to somehow generate power. Not being an engineer or a scientist, I don't know how that would work, but I'm pretty sure it could. I mean, "they" use nuclear fuel to boil water to make steam, which turns turbines, which make electricity. Why couldn't you burn trash to boil water to make steam?

Unlined trash cans would be a health hazard as mentioned above. I have using my own reusable bags for Grocery shopping since they first became available. Recently I found a company in the US called “Bagups” which makes bio-degradable plastic bags which am now using. While they don’t have a chinch sack closer they can be tied shut so garbage is not loose. This was the best solution I could do given where I now live in Virginia where they recycle next nothing and have now composting programs.

I love this idea, and think there are some simple (even partial) steps. Like putting dry garbage into the trash bin without any outer bagging… in my area, mechanical arm bin pickup. Much of the nay-saying in other comments is about wet garbage creating smell. Perhaps separating wet from dry garbage is a simple start, and it means composting to the maximum efficiency. Even if very few bags are used, isn’t progress a good first step? I have found since beginning composting in our own yard, our kitchen garbage is significantly reduced and it is definitely doable for me to try this bagless method.

As of a few years ago, I just started using empty cat litter bags or empty large cat food bags to put my garbage in before taking it out to the bin. Those large bags would also just end up in the garbage, so I decided to use them AS the garbage bags.

Since plastic bags are no longer available at grocery/drug stores, I use the paper bags always given with any purchase. I compost, so don’t have any “wet” trash. If I do I put it into the freezer and dispose of it on trash pick up night.
My trash is minimal, so I can wait a week or 2 or 3 for garbage pick up. I vote for paper

Susan Beale

I concur with a majority of you. It blows my mind when people put their recycling in a plastic garbage bag!!

As a child I remember using big metal trash cans that were filled without garbage bags. As I got older, along came the plastic bags. I agree that we should eliminate the plastic bags. I also agree with the comments above about trash blowing everywhere on trash days, sadly, there's already enough trash blowing around as it is!:<(. I think paper bags might be a viable option and if the paper products were made of recycled paper and/or grown sustainably we may have the best possible option. I also think reducing consumption should be a goal along with composting which keeps trash to a minimum as well as cleaner and easier to handle with paper bags.

We do everything we can to cut down on what has to go in the trash, and use biodegradable kitchen trash bags.

I used to use paper bags in the garbage can. Now I use biodegradable bags my produce comes in. Can't think of a reason to use a plastic bag, though perhaps you're saying not even paper or biodegradable bag? Then I worry about increased litter. The use of a plastic garbage bag in each room's wastebasket and then to go in the bin seems less like a functional issue and more like a cultural issue resulting from decades of marketing of garbage bags.

I haven't purchased plastic garbage bags in many years. Before last year, if I absolutely had to take a bag from the grocery store (instead of bringing my own reusables), I would ask for a paper bag, because I used those paper bags as my trash bags.

Within the past year, the grocery stores that I usually shop from in my city in the valley of Los Angeles, just stopped carrying paper bags altogether. Slowly but surely, it became impossible to get a paper bag from any store other than Whole Foods or Amazon, and I refused to take plastic bags every time.

When using paper bags as trash bags was no longer an option, I finally realized that I had 2 extra large plastic reusable grocery bags, and that I could use one for my trash and one for my recycling. So, for the past year, I have been putting all of my trash into one and all of my recycling (which is always rinsed before going in) into the other bag. About every third day, I take these two bags down to my black and blue bins and simply dump the contents into the appropriate bin.

This has been working out just fine. Occasionally the trash bag will get a little gross and smelly, but when it does, I simply clean it out in my sink, leave it outside to hang and dry, and start anew. Also, since I finally found a community compost center, less and less food is going into the trash bag, so it mostly gets filled with things like plastic wrap and other non-food trash.

I'm very happy with this solution. I've had no problem dumping my trash this way. I do not waste money on plastic garbage bags, and I do not create needless plastic waste. This works out great for me.

When I lived in a larger community that contracted with a commercial company that provided large bins with lids that were picked up with mechanical arms, I didn't use trash bags. What I did though, was to put smaller pieces of trash inside bigger pieces of trash so things were a bit contained and the likelihood of things blowing out was reduced. I now live in a smaller rural community that has it's own city garbage truck that doesn't have mechanical arms for picking up lidded bins. Instead a city worker rides on each side in the back of the truck and steps off the truck to pick up trash in specific bags required by the city. City rules require the trash inside their required bags also be in bags. Probably so when the feral cats and at large dogs tear open the bags, it doesn't all come tumbling out. I still do the same thing of stuffing my smaller pieces of trash into bigger pieces of trash (like cash register receipts, etc, go into the plastic bag that the apples came in). I don't recycle cash register receipts because they contain BPA or its replacement, BPS, which is no better environmentally/healthwise. I don't have a lot of trash though because I rarely eat processed food, so very little food packaging, I compost my food waste, I'm a single older person and I just don't buy lots of stuff, and I use reusable canvas bags for grocery shopping. If I need a bag to put garbage in (aside from the city required bag), I get a plastic grocery bag from my parents or a friend who drives me crazy with the amount of plastic they use. Let's just all use the waste packaging we do get with things we purchase to hold our other trash items.

While I like the sentiment, I don't think this would be a good idea. Firstly, because the inside of the dumpsters/outside garbage cans will be filthy and require daily cleaning otherwise you face terrible stains, foul odors, and attracting vermin and other animals to your dumpster/or wherever you keep it. Secondly, we have predatory animals in my area so we cannot leave our dumpsters outside unlocked or without a covered storage of sorts. This said, why it's still doable, it would be a lot of extra work and some people/families may not have the time to do all the extra steps to get to their garbage can regularly and keep it clean daily. Also, some areas require garbage to be bagged and put on the side walk for pick up while other areas still have a physical person take out your garbage bag one-by-one, so going bagless would require them to lift the whole garbage bin, which may not be possible for areas that require bigger garbage cans or that don't have the arm lifting dumpster trucks. I'm sure there are a myriad of other reasons and nuances why going completely bag-less with garbage would not work for many areas or may cause more harm than good. I think the best solution would be to have strong biodegradable garbage/dumpster bags that maybe are reinforced so they don't rip too soon. I'm sure a lot of people would be willing to pay a little extra for good biodegradable garbage bags.

Our city requires all garbage to be bagged and tied. In other words the bags must be closed in a way that keeps them closed. Our recycling goes loose into the bin for pickup. Considering how often there is loose recycling on the street and in yards after the truck dumps that bin I dread what would happen with loose garbage. Also, on 100 plus degree days the garbage stinks! The bags help to contain the smell until pickup day. Sorry, while less plastic is a great thing to strive for, loose trash is not the answer.

Loose trash is a potential mess to environment as others have stated. My goal instead is to reduce trash output by recycling/reusing if possible. I use paper grocery bags within my larger plastic kitchen bag so I can dump the filled paper bag but reuse the outer plastic bag another week or two if not soiled. Also use compostable plastic trash bags in other rooms and try to fill them to the max by consolidating trash before discarding. Less waste, less trash bags, less to throw out.

It’s not so much a question of the actual garbage bin “needing” a bag as it is about collecting the garbage in the house and transporting it to the garbage bin outside. I live by myself and create very little garbage on a weekly basis. When I do have refuse from the kitchen, I put that in a bag to throw into the garbage can. I usually use paper grocery bags unless the item being tossed is wet (e.g. I made bone broth and had to throw out the bones and vegetables) and I’ll put that in plastic bags.
I think the reason for garbage bags is to keep the indoor waste receptacles clean until they can be thrown into the garbage outside

I wouldn't mind being able to do that at all one less thing us to have to buy just to throw away! Not to mention it's impact on the environment! Unfortunately our city requests at all trash in the bin be in a bag unless it is recycling or yard waste. I'm almost surprised that the city hasn't yelled at us already because my husband is always tossing this or that in the trash bin without a bag. I would love to find a decomposable trash bag though.

I like the idea because at the landfill they grind up everything including the bags into the earth, why do we need one more plastic bag in the earth.

Sounds like a great idea in theory, but does not seem to take into consideration the large number of people who live in condos or apartment buildings. How will you get your garbage to the garbage room? Our condo will definitely clamp down on anyone putting raw garbage into the large garbage bin in the basement and some buildings have garbage shoots which would become very messy and smelly if people start throwing raw garbage down.

I have a garbage bag, I fill it up. Drive to the dump. Dump garbage out of bag into the bin. Bring home the bag and refill. Often times stuff I buy, ( cat food, cat litter, bread, comes inside plastic ) so then I reuse it for garbage.

In my area, trash bags are required by the HOA and possibly by the collector as well. We get a lot of wind and bins are tipped over regularly so having trash bagged makes clean up easier. I also have pets to clean up after and I would hate to have their waste loose in the bin. I try to use paper bags as much as possible and compostable bags when paper isn't practical.

I live in a very rural area in a very hot, humid climate. We don't have trash collection. We have to haul it to dumpsters. Without trash bags, this would be impossible for us. It's a nice thought if you can work it. It's just not feasible for a lot of folks.

I do think bagging it keeps it from getting loose between the house and it’s destination, especially considering most peoples lids aren’t even closed completely when on the curb. In my house I get some participation, but I don’t think everyone will comply to keep the trash can minimally gross, so yes a lot of extra cleaning or living with mold habitats. I have been using compostable trash bags that I get from my grocery store in our kitchen trash can. I reuse the small bin bags and empty them into the kitchen bin right before taking it to the big bin, which I keep in my garage and therefore also try to keep clean. I think it’s a good idea depending on the commitment of the house hold, logistics of pick up, and the weather (wind).

I live in Seattle, WA, USA. The problem I see is that our bins are picked up by the truck & emptied. If the items don't fall out of the bin into the truck, it's tough luck. No longer are the days where someone reaches into your bin to pull out any trash that is stuck in there. It's not the end of the world though if all garbage didn't empty out each week but most of it would need to empty out into the truck. I say it worth the experiment though. Great thought!

We found a source for compostable garbage bags (albeit expensive), so that’s what we’re using now. My parents still get paper bags at the grocery store, still get the newspaper and line the bottom of the kitchen trash can with that before taking it to their garbage can.

We found a source for compostable garbage bags (albeit expensive), so that’s what we’re using now. My parents still get paper bags at the grocery store, still get the newspaper and line the bottom of the kitchen trash can with that before taking it to their garbage can.

I've been doing this for some time, and it works for me! I use a compostable bag in my kitchen trash can, which I empty directly into the large outdoor bin -- I often hold on to the compostable bag to reuse (unless it has gotten nasty). My compost scraps are dealt with separately, so my trash is usually pretty un-gross. There are lots of loose items in the outdoor bin, but I haven't noticed any issues with items being lost in the transfer to the garbage collection truck (a concern of some of the other commenters). I say we all go for it!

If garbage isn’t in a bag it blows all over while they’re dumping it into the truck and as they are driving. And if some doesn’t go in the truck they don’t pick it up they just leave it. I buy garbage bags that use recycled plastic so at least it’s less new plastic. Unless you have no plastic in your garbage and it’s all compostable I don’t see how it can be better for the environment. I think the best solution right now at least is to try to have as little garbage as you can so you don’t need as many garbage bags.

Hey Steve, I totally agree with you. But the problem I see when things aren't contained in garbage bags, loose debris flies out of the back of garbage truck. This leads to more environmental contamination then a bag in the landfill.

By avoiding plastic packaging and eating a lot of fruits and vegetables I have very little garbage, not even filling a garage bag once a month. Instead of buying garage bags, I use other plastic bags like mailers.

I either use paper bags which are fine as I compost separately, or I use a plastic mailer bag that I empty into the garbage bin and I reuse this plastic bag over and over.

I stopped using garbage bags for about a year and emptied my garbage directly into the collection bin, both for garbage and food waste. It was empowering for about 7 months. At that point I ran into a couple of issues that eventually led me to abandoning this pursuit but I would start again if there were workable suggestions to resolve:
1. Eventually all of my plastic bins that I used to store garbage in my house started to smell. I washed them, I sprayed with bleach, I used probiotic bin refresher, all the things you would do but my kitchen always smelled like garbage and I found myself replacing the entire bin (which did not seem like a better choice).
2. In the winter, in Toronto, the garbage would freeze in the bins and would not get fully emptied on collection days. They slowly filled up until I had to bring them into the house to thaw, put the contents in bags and take out again.

The manager of the complex sent out an email saying that they want us to use a bag for our garbage. ☹️

We live in the rural area of the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia and must drive our recycling & trash to a county compactor and recycling center. Unfortunately there’s no alternative to using trash bags. Unfortunately there’s no plastic recycling either, so we’re trying our best to lower our use of plastic containers of all kinds.

I have honestly not really considered this idea before and I am intrigued. But I agree with other commentors that when the trash collection folks go to empty my big trash can, a lot of small or light items could be blown out into yards. Which I would be happy to clean up, but then where does it end? I put it back in the garbage bin and it blows out again... I'm sure there is a solution!

I think this could create a safety issue for our refuse collectors and create more work for them. I think bags are just necessary for garbage collection, but do they necessarily have to be made of plastic? I would LOVE it if there was a way to use your bee pod tech to create a composting garbage bag.

I like this outside of the box (or inside of the bin) thinking! Where I live the the compost bins do not require bags, nor the recycling bins. Granted, the compost bin can get a little "high", but the lid stays closed and I do have the means to spray it down once in awhile (although apartment dwellers probably could not do so). So maybe this could be done with garbage bins in residential areas. The bins stink whether there is plastic or not...it might be good to review how cities did this in the past. When I was a kid the bins were metal just like the one Oscar the Grouch lives in, and the garbage went into paper bags in the kitchen and then into the metal bin in the alley for pickup. I do think you are on to something...

Desperate times call for desperate measures. I'll go with whatever will save our planet. We have become so accustomed to convenience and 'time savers' that the thought of cleaning a garbage bin (I clean mine with newspaper and a bit of water) is repugnant. Perhaps if we can get over ourselves and do what is best for the collective (including the planet and its creatures) we can raise our consciousness and live a more fulfilled life.

Hi Steve,
Thanks for thinking of this. I have been using biodegradable garbage bags (although they're not as strong as the conventional plastic ones, but at least I feel like my carbon footprint is a little smaller than it used to be. There are few bags out there made from plant fibers, and it took me a little while to find the one that didn't split as easily. It would be a good idea to offer this (despite the competition) but I think its the right thing to do. Good luck.

I have not purchased plastic garbage bags in years. Since the pandemic, I have been doing most of my grocery shopping online/pick up and they provide my items in brown paper bags. We also have a stash of plastic grocery bags (when I am in the store and buy more than will fit in my own bags and from others who shop without bringing their own bags). Sometimes we use the paper bag by itself, sometimes the paper and plastic together. We don't generate a lot of trash; there will be 4 or 5 of those in the bin every week.

Have you considered the putrid mess of garbage sitting in 90° to 100° heat. When dumped into the garbage truck it will leave nasty dripping smelly residue into the bin and the truck will leak the same.
Otherwise I love what you do!!

We are ‘required’ to bag everything. We try to use paper bags from the grocery store as often as possible. Larger items just get put in the bin that goes to the curb. And guess what, they always pick it up.

There are several compostable, environmentally friendly trash bag brands available (Ayotee, Superbio, to name a few). I put dry trash in a paper bag and will be using one of the above for the rest.

If one composts, paper bags can probably be used instead of plastic ones. Of course, the best solution is to zero-waste it. Thanks for bringing it up, though. I think it is an important thing to consider.

I think loose trash collection would cause many problems with trash loose and blowing around. Plus very dirty/smelly barrels to clean or rodents could appear. I wish we could have trash bags made of a compostable, paper like product. (I use toilet paper, tissues, and napkins made from 100% bamboo fiber instead of trees).

We haven't used garbage bags in years. A quick rinse with the garden hose is all that's needed.

Each city in the US makes this determination and while this is a nice idea, I know for us, garbage bags are required by our trash collector.

Steve, I try to avoid the garbage in general; the issue with loose garbage is cleaning out the massive garbage Bin - use of water and sometimes dishwashing detergent - at what point is that more environmentally un-friendly than a bag ?

I've been thinking about this as well. One thing I remember from the 1970's was that bagging the trash/garbage reduced litter. Free items in the back of trash trucks tend to blow out and land on the roadways. Why can't we use paper garbage bags?

This is a great idea - - while trash bins would need to be cleaned more often, surely that is less of a strain on the environment than a plastic bag that may take YEARS to decompose. Keep the ideas coming!

It's not clear whether you are proposing to put your household garbage into a garbage bin item by item or to use kitchen garbage bags, fill them, and then place them one by one in the big bin. This would eliminate the big green or black bags but not the smaller ones of which you might have several in your house. I don't think the garbage collectors would thank you for putting all the little items in your big bin, to be scattered by the wind as they empty it into the truck.