A Better (Trash) Bag
When it comes to trash bags, there’s plenty of confusing verbiage. Compostable? Biodegradable? Bags with post-consumer recycled content? While one could certainly make the argument that biodegradable and compostable trash bags aren’t worth the money since they’re headed to the landfill anyway (those pits aren’t vegetable gardens, after all); the more cynical amongst us could say there’s no such thing as an eco-friendly trash bag if it holds bad-for-the-planet waste.
The goal is certainly to reduce the amount of trash sent to the landfill each week, but the reality is that most of us generate waste. And while purchasing eco-friendly-ish trash bags doesn’t give us carte blanche to throw away as much as we want, buying the right bags is a simple and accessible lifestyle switch. On today’s show I’m divulging what to know (and which trash bags to buy) moving forward.
Here’s a preview:
[3:15] Are biodegradable trash bags eco-friendly? (What does ‘biodegradable’ even mean?)
[6:00] Everything you need to know about compostable trash bags: pros, cons, and everything in between
[16:00] Breaking down (see what I did there?) all-things plastic bags with post-consumer recycled content
[22:00] Stephanie’s handy-dandy rubric to assess your trash bag purchases moving forward
Resources mentioned:
- Green Polly trash bags made of recycled content
- HoldOn compostable trash bags (Want 15% off? Use code SUSTAINABLE)
- Episode #277: All-Things Eggs
6 thoughts on “A Better (Trash) Bag”
Hi Stephanie!
I am a loyal listener of your podcast and enjoyed this episode about trash bags.
You asked for any listeners who use the Grove Collaborative 100% Recycled trash bags and I am one of them! I have been exclusively using them for about 6 months and am so happy with them. I’m glad I didn’t read any bad reviews before buying them the first time cause I think they are great! I’m not sure what others have complained about but they are made of a thick, sturdy plastic that doesn’t rip easily at all. My family composts so we usually don’t have any liquid in the trash but the bags definitely hold all of our trash and I feel good knowing that they are made from 100% recycled plastic. I would recommend them highly to other listeners.
Let me know if you have any other questions about the bags.
Thanks for your wonderful podcast- I really love it and all the content you put out 🙂
Katie Kimnach
Columbus, OH
p.s. I also have a guest idea that might be nice to have on your show. His name is B.J. Fogg and he wrote a book called Tiny Habits. The book doesn’t specifically talk about sustainability but he gives tons of details about how to make changes in our lives starting with really small steps and I think it could be applicable in the sustainability space.
Hi Katie,
Thank you for the rave review of Grove’s trash bags! I’ll happily check them out now 🙂 A few listeners have written to me and not one has had a bad word to say about them, so I’m glad I sent out that feeler in the episode.
Thank you for the episode suggestion! I have it on my list to contact BJ today!
So happy you’re listening to the show and receiving benefit.
Fondly,
Stephanie
You mentioned that compostable bags don’t breakdown at all in landfills because landfills are aero-tight, but you also mentioned using compostable bags to send your trash to the landfill yourself (timestamp ~13:30 in the podcast episode). Sorry if you already mentioned this in the episode and I missed it, but what would you recommend using for bags to send in the landfill then? Recycled plastic?
Hi Celena,
Correct: Compostable bags won’t compost in a landfill; however, they still have other benefits (minimal if any fossil fuels being used for production, for example). Recycled trash bags are also a good choice, provided they have a very high percentage of post-consumer recycled content (80-100%). In the episode I recommended HoldOn compostable bags and GreenPolly recycled bags.
Hope this helps! – Stephanie
Hi Stephanie!
I was looking on Thrive Market and noticed they have a 100% reclaimed plastic trash bag. Have you seen these and if so what are your thoughts? I’m considering trying them. These are more available to me than Green Polly in my area.
Thanks!
Hi Emily,
I hadn’t heard of them, but I just looked them up! Reviews look good, and 100% recycled is definitely good. I put them in my next autoship 🙂 If you try them I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Fondly, Stephanie
Comments are closed.