My Search for the Perfect Biodegradable Garbage Bag

I’ve spent the last several years enthusiastically making swaps to reduce waste in my daily routine. I bought a composter and now diligently collect food scraps in a container on the counter. I purchased reusable cleaning spray bottles, dryer balls, and silicone food storage containers. I swapped out my incandescent lightbulbs for LED and began growing and drying herbs for cooking and tea. But for all these small but valuable steps towards a more sustainable lifestyle, none has quite been as—uh—challenging as the search for biodegradable garbage bags that are both rip-proof and genuinely eco-friendly.

Compostable Vs. Biodegradable Garbage Bags

For starters, not all degradable trash bags are created equal—and to that end, “biodegradable” and “compostable” aren’t interchangeable terms. The term “biodegradable” is often thrown around for marketing purposes, although certain plastics are engineered to degrade in water and soil. But for a material to be deemed compostable (that is, it will degrade into soil conditioning material), it needs to be able to break down in an industrial composting facility in a relatively short amount of time. For this reason, you’ll want to look for BPI Certified Compostable bags.

Another important caveat here is that while many biodegradable or compostable bags can break down in ideal conditions, they have trouble degrading in landfills, where oxygen is scarce, and temperatures aren’t ideal for decomposition. But they still fare better than single-use plastic bags, which can take hundreds of years to decompose in any conditions—and when they do, can release microplastics into our waterways and oceans.

Making The Most of Biodegradable Garbage Bags

So, what’s the alternative? Composting at home is an option, as some (though not all) compostable bags will break down over a few months in a home compost pile or composter. I currently rely on my trusty compost tumbler to transform some of my food scraps into nutritious soil over the course of several weeks. But I’ve also been eyeing Pela’s Lomi ($499), a next-generation device that breaks down a wider variety of waste in just a matter of hours. Many cities also offer access to industrial composting facilities by way of green bins, redirecting certain waste from landfills to local parks and green spaces. You’ll just want to double-check your local guidelines on which waste is and isn’t allowed. (Animal scraps and plastics are usually no-gos.)

But now that we’ve dissected the various ins and outs of trash (I told you it was challenging!), let’s circle back to our initial dilemma: finding biodegradable garbage bags that keep the guardrails mentioned above in mind but also deliver on durability. Not an easy task when a garbage bag is literally designed for decomposition—and let’s just say I’ve been through a lot of trial and error to narrow down the list below.