As a germaphobe, I get grossed out easily, so taking out the trash has never been my favorite household chore. My husband, on the other hand, couldn’t care less about getting dirty, and he’s always happy to take one for the team without complaint.
So when the Shop TODAY team tasked me with testing eight different trash bags over the course of several months for their Ranked series, I was confronted with an interesting dilemma since it’s not something I’d typically be inclined to do.
Despite my typical aversion to trash, my curiosity outweighed my cozy comfort zone. Along the way, I also sought input from some professionals who know a thing or two about what to look for when shopping for the best and most durable trash bags.
In the end, I was pleasantly surprised to discover a few new go-to options for my household. As for trash duty, I’m pretty sure I’ll continue leaving that to my better half from here on out, but I’ll feel confident knowing he has the right tools for the job if he’s using any of the picks below.
What should you look for while shopping for trash bags?
Quality trash bags aren’t cheap, so you want to make sure you’re getting your money’s worth when you do shop for them. These are the features experts recommend keeping an eye out for:
Size
“Make sure you choose the right size bag so it doesn’t split during use or go to waste, either by being too small or too large for the bin,” says Adam Atkins, the director of Cheapa Waste Skips.
Kameron Khan, the founder and managing director of SilverWater Plumbing, suggests doing so by matching the bag’s gallon rating to your bin: “A 13-gallon bag for a 13-gallon bin. Oversized bags bunch up and slip. Undersized ones split at the rim.”
Material
Not all trash bag materials are created equally.
“High-density polyethylene bags are thinner but surprisingly tear-resistant. Low-density bags stretch better under pressure, so they absorb impact without cracking,” explains Caleb John, director of Exceed Plumbing & Air Conditioning.
Thickness
The first thing John examines before buying a trash bag is the mil rating (aka the thickness), which is typically listed on the packaging near the dimensions of the bags.
“Bags rated at 1.2 mil or higher handle everyday household waste without splitting mid-haul. Anything below that and you’re gambling, honestly,” he says.
Khan suggests “3 mil minimum” for heavier loads.
Fit
Khan suggests looking for bags that are labeled “rim-fit” or “stretch-to-fit” since they grip the barrel edge and “stay locked in place.”
“Snug fit isn’t just preference; it’s functional. A bag that slips down into the bin mid-use means you’re fishing it out every time you toss something in. That gets old fast. From what I’ve seen, bags that overhang more than 3-4 inches tend to peel away from the rim once weight builds up inside. And once it starts sliding, it doesn’t stop,” he says.
Seam strength and seal
Seam strength is also important to pay attention to.
“Gusset seams on the sides add another layer of structural strength. They allow the bag to expand under loads without pulling stress toward the base seam,” John says.
Khan adds that bottom gussets are also something many people forget about. “A reinforced gusset is where the real difference shows, because that’s where bags fail first,” he says.
For heavy loads, John says star-seal construction is the “gold standard.”
“It welds the bottom into multiple triangular folds, spreading weight across a wider surface area instead of concentrating stress at one point,” he explains.
Best overall kitchen trash bag
Hippo Sak Kitchen Trash Bags
Strength and durability: 5/5 | Leak protection: 5/5 | Odor control: 4/5 | Overall average score: 4.67/5
Strength and durability: The strong, wide handles on this bag made it feel more like a shopping bag than a trash bag (in the best possible way) and it was easy to lift out of the trash can. The material’s ability to stretch without compromising the strength of the bag was quite impressive.
Leak protection: Despite a rather heavy load, the bag showed no signs of tearing, and it handled the liquid abuse I put it through (a few cups of water and soup) without any leaks.
Odor control: The bags are unscented but I found that they still masked odors quite well.
More kitchen trash bags, tested by the author
Best leak protection:
Strength and durability: 4/5 | Leak protection: 5/5 | Odor control: 4.5/5 | Overall average score: 4.5/5
Strength and durability: This bag was a bit smaller than the ones I’m used to and fit more snugly in the trash can. While that’s not my preference, it’s what is recommended by experts (and my husband appreciated how the bag didn’t move around at all due to its snug fit). That being said, I found this bag to be both strong and durable, especially since it didn’t puncture when I put sharp flower stems in with the rest of the heavy load.
Leak protection: I poured more than a half gallon of milk in the bag and there was no hint of wetness in the can or the outside of the bag when I took it out.
Odor control: The bags are infused with the Fresh Clean Febreze scent that smells quite lovely. I found that the scent also helped to hide any undesirable smells.
Best scent:
Strength and durability: 4/5 | Leak protection: 4/5 | Odor control: 5/5 | Overall average score: 4.3/5
Strength and durability: The stretchiness of this trash bag was what impressed me the most, especially since it’s smaller than the ones I typically use. It accommodates heavy loads with ease and without tears.
Leak protection: When I poured two cups of liquids in the trash over the course of several days, there were no signs of wetness on the exterior of the bag or on the inside of the trash can.
Odor control: I adored the perfume-y scent, which lasts for days and covers up any yucky odors. I’d best describe it as pretty without being overpowering.
Best recycled option:
Strength and durability: 4/5 | Leak protection: 4/5 | Odor control: 4/5 | Overall average score: 4/5
Strength and durability: I’ll be honest, I wasn’t expecting much from these trash bags. Call me biased, but I wasn’t so sure that recycled plastic was durable enough to withstand a heavy load of trash and the liquids I was about to inflict upon the bag.
Due to the shape of the bag, when I placed it in my trash can, I noticed that the bag handles didn’t drape the sides of the can in a perfect symmetrical manner. Instead, they were a bit uneven/haphazard. This didn’t affect the job’s performance, but it did make it look a little sloppy. However, appearance aside, I was pleasantly surprised that it was able to handle a week’s worth of trash with ease.
Leak protection: Over the course of the week, I poured in a few cups of water and soup and noticed no leaks when I took the trash out.
Odor control: While the bags are unscented, they do a good job of masking odor.
A classic:
Strength and durability: 3.5/5 | Leak protection: 5/5 | Odor control: 3/5 | Overall average score: 3.83/5
Strength and durability: I use Hefty bags in my everyday life (these ones, to be exact), so I’m familiar with the brand’s quality. This particular trash bag is certainly durable, but the bag wasn’t as sturdy as the one I’m used to. Still, I found it to be a solid bag that can handle normal-sized loads.
Leak protection: When it comes to leak protection, the bag can definitely withstand daily liquids and then some since it held up well when I poured in two cups total of water and soup over the course of several days.
Odor control: The odor control wasn’t as powerful as the others, but it’s okay for daily use if you’re not planning on cooking anything too stinky.
Bulk buy:
Strength and durability: 3/5 | Leak protection: 3/5 | Odor control: 4/5 | Overall average score: 3.3/5
Strength and durability: Initially, I was skeptical about these since the bag felt a bit flimsy. But ultimately, the material expanded quite well when the bag was filled. It didn’t tear when I put a few flower stems in either, so I considered that a win.
Leak protection: There were no noticeable leaks, but the bag felt a tad moist in spots when I did take it out. It wasn’t actively dripping, so it might just have been since I’d recently poured liquids in, that they didn’t have a chance to dry or settle in just yet.
Odor control: I didn’t detect any strong odors from this unscented option, but it definitely didn’t smell quite as fresh as some of the others I tested.
How I tested kitchen trash bags
Over the course of two months, I put eight different 13-gallon trash bags to the test for a week each, loading them up to the brim with a mixture of regular garbage, sharp items like flower stems, a few cups of liquids and smelly items (like spoiled food and onions). I also made note of how each bag fit into my trash can, which measures in at 15 x 10 x 24 inches.
I evaluated them based on the following criteria and gave them a score of 1-5 (1 being the worst, 5 being the best):
- Strength and durability
- Leak protection
- Odor control
Frequently asked questions
Experts have varying opinions about this one.
According to Atkins, the frequency of changing the trash depends on what’s inside it. “Ideally, wait until it’s nearly full, unless you’ve disposed of meat, fish or anything else that may cause odors,” he says.
On the other hand, Khan recommends changing the trash every two to three days “regardless of how full the bag is.”
“Bacteria builds up fast, especially in warm kitchens or enclosed spaces. Waiting for a full bag just means you’re also waiting on a growing odor problem,” he says. “I think the sweet spot is swapping at around 75-80% capacity. Manageable weight, minimal spillage risk and the bag stays intact all the way to the bin."
“Scented bags mask odor but don’t eliminate it. In my experience, the fragrance fades within 24-36 hours, faster in warmer rooms. So for most households changing bags every two to three days, I honestly think scent is mostly cosmetic,” John says.
Moreover, the pro says the fix for odor doesn’t really have much to do with the bag itself.
“More frequent changes and a bin with a tight-sealing lid will do far more than any scented liner ever will,” he says.
Mark Stevenson, a senior product manager at Stove Shield, adds that “oils from fragrances will break the structure” of a bag.
“Standard 13-gallon kitchen bags should handle roughly 1/2 to 1 gallon of liquid before seam stress becomes a real problem. Past that, you’re pushing the bag into territory it wasn’t designed for,” John says.
The pro says the mil rating is the deciding factor.
“A 0.9 mil bag under liquid load behaves very differently from a 1.5 mil bag. The thinner bag deforms at the base and the seam starts pulling apart before you even lift it,” he explains. “From what I’ve seen, the smarter move is pouring excess liquid down the drain before bagging. Bags are liners, not containers, and treating them like containers is where most failures start.”
Why trust Shop TODAY?
Chrissy Callahan has been writing for Shop TODAY since 2017 and has covered a wide range of topics ranging from how to remove deodorant stains from clothes to the best products for joint pain.
Meet our experts
- Adam Atkins is the director of Cheapa Waste Skips, a company that specializes in residential, commercial and industrial waste removal.
- Caleb John is the director of Exceed Plumbing & Air Conditioning, a company that specializes in blocked drains and plumbing callouts. Many of the calls the company receives trace back to the handling of household waste, which gives them a unique perspective on how important quality trash bags and proper waste removal habits are.
- Kameron Khan is the founder and managing director of SilverWater Plumbing. His experience running a fleet of 10+ trucks means waste disposal is something his company deals with daily, from job sites to residential callouts.
- Mark Stevenson, a senior product manager at Stove Shield, has unique insight on the mechanical performance of household liners after performing thousands of engineering evaluations of surface protection products in American homes throughout his career.
How do you add Shop TODAY as a Preferred Source on Google?
Google’s new Preferred Sources feature allows users to manually select their favorite publishers and news outlets for a more customizable experience tailored directly to the reader. Once you’ve opted to receive our content, you’ll begin seeing more of our recent and trending articles displayed within your Top Stories news feed.
The easiest way to add us as a preferred source is to click here and type in “TODAY.com.” Once the box is checked and you’ve refreshed the page, Shop TODAY content will start appearing in your feed.
