Brainstorms > ShoppingNovember 07, 2008

Ideas for saving money on trash bags as suggested by the ThriftyFun community.

Save Trash Can Liners

Most people have several trash containers throughout their house: kitchen, bathroom, bedrooms, office, etc. Most trash that is tossed is dry. If you reserve one trash container for wet trash (kitchen would be a logical one), you can simply empty the others into it on trash day, instead of bagging them all individually. Saves on trash can liners.

By Leann D

Use Grocery Sacks

We don't use trash bag liners. In the kitchen, we use paper grocery bags in place of a trash can. It is under the sink and each day we empty the trash. Everyone has learned to not put dripping things into the trash. Throughout the rest of the house, we use plastic bags (like from Walmart) on trash day to empty the bathroom and bedroom trashes.

By Ann

Reuse Large Dog Food Bags

I buy the large sized bags of dog food and when they are empty I use them to put in my kitchen trash can. It saves a plastic trash bag or two.

By Jannie

Use Boxes Instead Of Bags

This may not apply to everyone but in country Western Australia, I'm outside the pick up area for rubbish and have to trailer my own to the local dump. I use boxes as well - Coke can boxes or any type of waste cardboard box - you can stuff an amazing amount of rubbish into a Coke box! I then put them straight into the trailer without bagging.

By Jo

Buy Cheap Bags

I go to the $5 bag sale and reuse this bag. I reuse the plastic bags from the grocery stores.

By Mildred

Place Large Items Directly In The Outside Trash Bin

With boxes and such, I try to recycle. For some reason we don't have a place to recycle plastic. I don't place soda bottles or milk jugs in the trash can. I just go ahead and put it in the trashcan outside.

By Delaine

No Bags

This may sound gross or something but, there are a lot of people that just don't have a lot of money and every penny counts. I have found that instead of using trash bags, just use your trash can. You really don't need to buy trash bags. They have to pick up the trash no matter if it is in trash bags or trash cans. You can also use your grocery store bags and cans or jars or whatnot for the messy stuff.

By Rebecca

Many Garbage Collectors Require Bags

Good idea - but it doesn't work everywhere! In Kansas City your trash is ONLY picked up if it is in a plastic bag! Other cities may have the same rule.

By Trudy in KC

Crush Things To Save Space In The Bin

I always crush plastic bottles (just put them on the floor and stomp!) recycle aluminum and use my kitchen shears to cut up cardboard boxes. Crushing bottles and cutting up boxes save space, so you can get more into the bag!

By Hugmehugs

Use Newspaper for Messy Jobs

Our newspapers are thrown in plastic bags and I use these when cleaning the kitty litter box, just tie them up and drop into your regular trash bag. I also use the plastic bags from groceries and shops to put messy leftovers, etc. in before putting in the larger plastic bag. It helps cut down on odor too.

By LadyDi#1

Reduce and Reuse

Some people have a 30 minute exercise program everyday. I crush, compact, put trash inside trash and garbage inside jars and potato chips tubes cans, and have actually gone 5 days without filling a trash bag,

Now, honestly I save soda bottles and reuse them many ways. Those cereal box bags are reused for refrigerator and freezer bags, craft bags or even lunch bags.

Those grocery bags I use for cleanup, lunches or take bags to one store that sells their shopping bags if people don't bring them.

The cereal boxes can be used for all kinds of crafts and such, or you can give your arms and hands exercise tearing them up into small pieces.

In other words, I save on trash bags by making big trash little and thinking of ideas to reuse some of the trash which saves money, energy and trash bags.

Happy Bagging

By Mr. Thrifty

Keep It Out Of The Trash

We compost all veggie/fruit scraps, egg cartons, coffee grounds, etc. Plastic and paper can be recycled and is dropped off on the way to my husband's work. We've reduced our garbage down from 3 bags to 1 bag per week.

Recycle whatever you can, even into a craft item or other usable item.

By DDSS2000

Use Plastic Grocery Bags as Trash Liners

Save the bags from WalMart or other stores. Use them to line small trash cans. Or use them to fill with veggie peels, etc. They are convenient to carry from room to room as you are cleaning.

By AnnMel

Ask For Plastic

When I go shopping and they ask, Paper or plastic? I say plastic, I even ask that they double bag when loading cans or anything heavy (saves them from ripping)

After unloading the groceries. I tape any holes or tears in the bags, put them in my "bag holder" and line our trash can with one each morning. I use a small trash can under the sink, and it's emptied every morning and evening.

By Ladyfalcon

Change Small Bags Often

To save money on buying trash bags, you can use shopping bags for trash, even placing one under the kitchen sink. When full, place these bags in your garbage container. No need for a liner here either because this container can be washed. Secure the top of the container with a bungee cord hooked to the handle. This will keep animals out of the garbage. Haul the container to the dump in the back of your truck. The top will not blow off if it is secured with a bungee cord. Result...less litter on the highways.

By Betty

Save Your Clear Plastic Bags

When we use plastic bags, we have to use clear plastic bags. Every time I get a clear plastic bag from anywhere I use it for trash. I haven't used a bought trash bag in over a year. I have used empty 50 lb. bags from sunflower seed, carefully removed plastic bags from a new set of outdoor furniture, bags from an internet fabric order, local store plastic bags, bags from buying potatoes and carrots, you get the idea.

Anything plastic, big enough, and on the clear side is fair game for me. I do recycle and compost every thing I possibly can and that means usually we only have one bag of trash per week. I do not use a separate bag in each trash can in the house. I have a separate can for wet non-compostable garbage in the garage. This just goes in the garbage bag on garbage day. I stomp everything to make sure it takes up as little room as possible. Every little bit helps.

By Susan in Omaha

Take Bags Out of Recycle Bins

We have bins in some of our larger grocery stores to put used plastic bags in for recycling. I'll sometimes not only add to these bins but take from these bins and reuse the bags over again and again. The ones with holes, I'll cut up and crochet into a rug. The okay ones I'll reuse myself and the nicest looking ones I'll use for my customers when I sell my pottery at Saturday Markets. I'll ask my customers "Would you like a new or a recycled bag?" and 99 times out of 100 they'll ask for a recycled bag. In fact, they carry their own bags a lot these days. If you don't want to use more plastic bags, why not reuse the bags in the stores' recycle bin for your groceries.

By Cyinda

Adjusting To Less Plastic Bags

Now that we are being encouraged to bring our own, reusable bags to the grocery store, I have fewer grocery bags to use as bin liners. I empty my small trash cans into the larger, kitchen trash can when I'm about ready to take it out and keep the same bag in the small cans for a while, unless there is really germy trash inside. I ask for paper when I can, as I can use it to hold paper for recycling instead of having to tie up bundles. We recycle/compost as much as we can and look for products that have less packaging; that saves us quite a bit on trash bags. We can usually go 2-3 weeks before our municipal trash can needs to be emptied.

By chriself

Use Grocery Store Bags For Kitty Litter

I use my plastic bags from the stores for my kitty litter box. When I clean up the litter I just dump in one for the store bags. I don't have to buy separate bags to dump the waste in.

By Alicia

Do you have any more ideas to share? Feel free to post them below.

Post Feedback

Read feedback for this post below.

• Use Binder Clips to Secure Garbage Bags
• Buying Garbage Bags
• Use Grocery Bags For Garbage Liners

• Grocery Bags vs. Garbage Bags
• Have Garbage Bags Instead of Cans in The House
• Saving Money on Vegetables