Eco-friendly trash bags.
Written by Helga
Monday, 22 March 2010 12:36
They exist.
I knew that once my stash of garbage bags from the price club ran out, Live Green Mom would need to start exploring the world of eco-friendly garbage bags. I have not heard the most positive comments on the subject!
The biggest complaint: they fall apart easily. No one wants to clean up after an exploding garbage bag.
I produce on the average ONE 13 gallon bag of garbage a week. Because I compost and recycle, we just do not make loads of trash. I am so proud of that! Of course some weeks there might be two bags, but it is rare. I even called my garbage pick up company and brought it to their attention, in a plea to pay less for trash pick up. They agreed with me and lowered my monthly cost. Score!
I was invited by EconoGreen Plastics, a Canadian company that produces garbage bags (of all types, lawn & leaf, contractor, kitchen and drop cloths to name a few) to try their eco-friendly garbage bags that are made from 100% recycled plastics. That’s all well and good, you say, but what about when it gets to a landfill? That’s where this gets interesting.
Their plastics are oxodegradable, which in the simplest terms means that when a material is exposed to oxygen and degrades. Their bags, made with a special, unique additive, breaks down over the course of 2-4 years into smaller pieces. It then becomes a nutrient for microbes that consume the smaller pieces, leaving behind water, CO2, and biomass. EconoGreen says that this process does not leave behind any harmful residue or toxins. I know that you might be thinking that there are other eco-bags that break down quicker, in say, 18-24 months, but like I mentioned before, not all are very structurally sound and may break easier. This is my first eco-friendly bag to try, so all I am going on is what I have heard some of my green friends tell me.
These bags need oxygen to degrade, which to be on the most honest side, many landfills cannot provide. Trash gets heaped onto trash and seals it off from sunlight, moisture, and oxygen, the necessary components needed to break down what is able to be broken down. A trash bag that is eco-friendly cannot offer the complete solution. We need to supplement by composting our food and garden scraps ourselves and recycling when ever it is possible. Keeping those items out of our landfill makes room for what truly does need to be thrown away and cannot be used again. And it gives an eco-friendly trash bag the opportunity to do its work it was designed for. To break down and disintegrate.
So, I’ve tried out their 13 gallon EconoGreen kitchen garbage bags and simply put, I saw no difference between their bag and my usual hardy standby by from Glad bags. Which is to say, they worked great even stuffed up nice and fat. No breakage or leaking. Now everybody’s garbage bag habits are different as to what they put in, how hard they stuff, etc. They held up well for me. I haven’t tried their lawn and leaf bags they sent me because I compost all of that. Their contractor bags and their large garbage bags, again, all feel the same as the regular bags I buy from Glad for the same projects. As I use them I will update this post, I’m pretty good about updates.
You know what else I like about EconoGreen bags? The price. Thirty- 13 gallon kitchen bags will run you about $4.99. Now if you are like me and you compost & recycle, well, those bags will last you a while. I believe Home Depot is starting to sell these now. Sweet! You can also purchase EconoGreen trash bags for many different uses on their website, www.EconoGreen.com.
I give this product a definite green light!
I invite you to try these bags and make your own decision about them. And I’d love to know what you thought, too! Be one of the first 5 readers to fan EconoGreen on Facebook (and follow them on Twitter if you tweet!) and tell them Live Green Mom sent you, and EconoGreen will generously send you a box of 30 tall kitchen bags. It is that simple! For residents of the USA only, though, sorry, I’m mailing these out at my own expense.
Just so you know, EconoGreen didn’t pay me to do this review or try and force me to create garbage against my will just to try out their bags.
This is one way to take some of the guilt out of taking out the (true) garbage.
16 Comments
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I only recently saw this post. Thanks for the info. I have been looking for “better” trash bags myself. I too only produce about 1 trash bag a week for my family of 5 so I could definitely pay a little more for deragable trash bags. Nice to know these won’t break the bank! Just became a fan of EconoGreen. Did I make into the top 5?????
RT @LiveGreenMom: Eco-friendly trash bags that actually hold up under use. Imagine. http://is.gd/aT6cG
Eco-friendly trash bags that actually hold up under use. Imagine. http://is.gd/aT6cG
Fabulous! RT @LiveGreenMom: Eco-friendly trash bags. http://is.gd/aT6cG I was not forced to create garbage just to review these bags
Eco-friendly trash bags. http://is.gd/aT6cG I was not forced to create garbage just to review these bags
RT @LiveGreenMom: EconoGreen trash bags are just right for a sturdy green garbage bag! http://is.gd/aT6cG
EconoGreen trash bags are just right for a sturdy green garbage bag! http://is.gd/aT6cG
RT @livegreenmom: Eco-friendly trash bags. http://is.gd/aT6cG I was surprised that I really can't tell the difference between these and Glad bags
Eco-friendly trash bags. http://is.gd/aT6cG I was surprised that I really can't tell the difference between these and Glad bags
http://is.gd/aT6cG I wonder if eco friendly trash bags will ever become mandatory? Hopefully!
OH!!!! I am on this!!!! Ty girlie girl!
Well get over to EconoGreen on facebook and fan them, win a box of them!
RT @livegreenmom: Eco-friendly trash bags. http://ow.ly/1qtCfu They exist!
This is great! We pretty much do exactly the same thing and have about 1 bag and sometimes 2 bags of garbage (if we have company, usually). So these will be perfect! Thanks so much for the info and review!
Very glad to hear that they exist, and I’m hoping that very soon this will become the standard in plastic sacs. It makes me think of this short film, which is a very thought provoking story of a plastic bag going into the void:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDBtCb61Sd4
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