Garbage Bag Guide: Size, Thickness, Color, and Material

Manufacturing - Comparison of materials - Thickness and dimensions

Voussert offers a wide range of garbage bags for use by professionals and communities.
Given the breadth of our product range and the diverse manufacturing processes involved, at Voussert we place great importance on helping you understand the products we sell. Our goal is simple: to enable you to compare options and make the best purchase.
Who measures and weighs the garbage bags that are delivered? ...A garbage bag datasheet is just numbers on paper.

What is a garbage bag made from?

For polyethylene bags, the raw material is obtained from granules that are mixed and heated. The quality of the granules is crucial and determines the quality of the bag. A mixture with too much "recycled" or poor-quality material can lead to disastrous results in the bag's lining . This is generally visible in the bag's texture, which is consequently uneven. Adding a dye allows for different colors of garbage bags depending on their intended use.
The film used for extrusion is made through an inflation and cooling process. Extrusion is a highly specialized technique requiring years of experience to achieve optimal thicknesses. The co-extrusion technique for garbage bags involves a film composed of several layers stacked on top of each other. These layers are extruded independently and then assembled simultaneously in a die. Extrusion is also used for the biodegradable resin used in biodegradable bags. Finishing encompasses all the steps necessary to transform the film into a finished product: gusset creation, printing/marking, tying, sealing and pre-cutting, roll packaging, and cartoning.

What material should a garbage bag be made of?

A garbage bag is made from polyethylene, which is commonly called plastic.
This plastic material is obtained by polymerization (multiplication of molecular chains) of ethylene. The molecular formula C2H4 of polyethylene equals 2 carbon molecules and 4 hydrogen molecules.
This material, called "polyethylene," can nevertheless take several forms , which we will detail. Since plastic is a source of massive pollution, alternatives now exist in the form of bags made from biodegradable materials such as potato starch or corn starch. While these are still more expensive at present, they have no impact on the environment.

Plastic garbage bag: what type of polyethylene?

There are two main manufacturing categories for garbage bags. They can be made of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) or high-density polyethylene (HDPE) .

A garbage bag is generally made from low-density polyethylene (LDPE). This type of material is used for garbage bags larger than 50 liters due to its puncture resistance. These garbage bags are often used for heavy loads such as food or sharp objects. Another material used to make garbage bags is high-density polyethylene (HDPE). The difference between an HDPE garbage bag and a low-density polyethylene (LDPE) bag lies in their load-bearing capacity. An HDPE garbage bag, which is almost half the thickness of an LDPE bag, will offer the same load-bearing capacity. However, the puncture resistance (from cans, sharp objects, etc.) will be better in an LDPE bag.

Therefore, it is absolutely essential to know, before choosing a garbage bag, what type of waste the garbage bag will have to withstand.

Garbage bag made of virgin, regenerated or recycled polyethylene?

In the basic design, the raw material remains a key element that defines the quality of your product. Choosing recycled or regenerated raw materials is now essential to preserving resources and the environment. Regenerated material refers to material derived from collected PE waste which, after washing, is remelted to obtain a reusable material.
Recycled refers to a top-quality material obtained after remelting production scraps.
Finally, virgin material is a material derived from petroleum, molecular structure = C2H4.

What is a low-density polyethylene garbage bag?

The bin bag has a glossy finish and remains soft to the touch. The bag's thickness varies between 30 and 80 microns for typical use. This type of manufacturing results in a bin bag that is puncture-resistant , and above 45 microns, it offers significant load-bearing capacity.
These garbage bags are often used to put heavy loads such as food or sharp and piercing objects.

What is a high-density polyethylene garbage bag?

High-density garbage bags are recognizable by a rustling sound. Their thickness varies between 8 and 20 microns.
They are generally used for collecting light and bulky waste such as paper , emptying bins.
The difference between a high-density polyethylene (HD) and a low-density polyethylene (LD) garbage bag lies in the load resistance.
Indeed, a HD garbage bag with a thickness almost half that of a BD garbage bag will offer the same resistance to load.
However, the resistance to punctures in the garbage bag (from a can, a sharp object, etc.) will be better on a BD garbage bag.
Therefore, before choosing a bin bag, it's essential to know what type of waste it will be holding. If it's heavy (or light) but non-bulky waste (e.g., paper, office waste), then you can opt for a heavy-duty bin bag.
However, if the garbage bag has to deal with sharp objects (cans, metal, glass, etc.), then it is imperative to use BD garbage bags.

How is a low-density garbage bag made?

Our factory has been recycling and using extruded low-density polyethylene film since 1973 .
Our finished product is the garbage bag.
Thanks to over 40 years of experience, we have developed a high-quality product that meets the most varied demands of a competitive and demanding European market in terms of size, thickness, color, printing, packaging, labeling, etc., thus guaranteeing customers the best flexibility and commercial availability, and offering them alternative products developed in our laboratories.
Our company controls the entire production chain, from regeneration and/or recycling to the extrusion blow molding of the film that makes up the garbage bag.
This allows us to constantly improve our production process and therefore our finished product.
This flexible manufacturing process allows our factory to meet a wide range of manufacturing demands.
The garbage bag can be produced in rolls or in bulk, with side gussets and the possibility of inserting a polypropylene tie, folded in a C shape or with a drawstring.

A loose, folded, and bundled garbage bag can have a capacity of 500 to 1100 liters. These are generally bags intended for use as garbage container liners.
Our production lines are optimized to allow continuous control over production parameters using gravimetric hoppers and automated size control to obtain a consistent finished product with excellent mechanical resistance characteristics .
We can customize our products to meet customer needs, through printing texts, drawings, symbols or logos directly on the bags, or on the cardboard packaging with specific labels, or even close the rolls with paper strips on which EAN codes and/or logos in customer colors are printed (for large volumes).
The excellent quality of the regenerated raw material allows our factory to obtain a wide range of colors and different degrees of opacity or transparency depending on customer needs.

Biodegradable garbage bags: the future of waste collection

As part of the development of biodegradable materials, we are starting to see the emergence of biodegradable or compostable garbage bags made from potato starch or corn starch.
Voussert offers a range of biodegradable bin bags , made from 100% biodegradable/compostable plant-based materials , suitable for collecting all types of waste intended for composting (organic fermentable fraction of household waste, green waste). The biodegradable bin bag features two types of closure: either a traditional plant-based tie or biodegradable drawstring ties. The bin bag is available in various sizes depending on its use (10 to 20 liters for organic fermentable waste and 50 to 110 liters for green waste). A large printing/marking area allows for the communication of collection instructions. The bin bag meets OK Compost and VGS standards. Biodegradable liners for wheeled bins are also available.

How to choose the dimensions and volume of the garbage bag?

Voussert offers a wide range of bin bag volumes, from 100L to 170L for standard sizes, and from 5L to 50L for smaller bin sizes.

How can I check the price of my garbage bag?

Your bag is characterized by its material, but also by its dimensions and thickness. Very often, the advertised volume is not a reliable figure, as a manufacturer might choose to shorten a bag (for example) to reduce its cost.
The important data if you want to compare two products of equivalent material are the dimensions (to be measured) as well as the thickness, then weigh this bag on a scale.
The calculation formula is as follows:
Weight of your bag = Half perimeter x 2 x Height x Molecular density x Thickness
The molecular density of LDPE is 0.92 on average
The molecular density of HDPE is 0.95 on average
The half-perimeter corresponds to the opening of the bag when fully unfolded, including the gussets.
With this information, you should now be able to truly understand what you are buying and compare...

The rubbish bag cover, wheeled container and rolling bin

One type of garbage bag worth discussing is container liners . Also called container covers, these garbage bags are designed to protect the wheeled waste containers (2 or 4 wheels depending on the size) found in our cities and commercial areas. These liners are generally thin because they are intended to protect the containers, not to bear weight.

Hospital yellow waste bag

Hospital waste bags must meet a specific standard for infectious waste. The NFX 30-501 standard is the reference standard. A Dasri waste bag must be incinerable and minimize harmful toxic emissions into the atmosphere. The bag must be closed with a drawstring. The fill line must be clearly marked to prevent overfilling or improper closure. Our Dasri bags are available in sizes from 15L to 110L and are made in France.