Your Guide to – Bin Bags & Bin Liners

Your Guide to – Bin Bags & Bin Liners


Your Guide to – Bin Bags & Bin Liners

Bin Bags are commonly used in kitchens, offices, and washroom areas. Choosing the right bin bags and refuse sacks can often be confusing and difficult to know what will be up to the job that you have on hand.

One of the main problems when using bin liners and bin bags is that they are often difficult to dispense. Industrial bin bags often come folded into each other, packaged inside a plastic bag, and then inside a box. They can also be purchased as bin liners on a roll with strong perforations making them difficult to tear off. Both options are commonly used across the at-home and away-from-home markets.

In this blog, we cover off some questions such as:

What are bin bags made of?

What bin bags can I use for recycling?

How to stop foxes attacking bin bags and how to stop birds ripping bin bags.

What size bin bags do I need?

How much weight can my bin bags carry?

If you want to jump to the question to get your answer, simply click the question above!

   

What are bin bags made of?

Your Guide to – Bin Bags & Bin Liners

Most bin bags are made from polypropylene polymer which is 100% recyclable. There are now many more compostable and biodegradable bin bags on the market that are great for light-duty use. When you are using bin bags in the office or an industrial environment it is always best to use a more heavy-duty sack such as the Pulahold. These Pulahold sacks are also ideal use for around the house and fit in kitchen bins anything from 30 litres right up to 90 litres.

   

What bin bags can I use for recycling?

This is an often-asked question, and a lot of local authorities and councils have different policies in place. Polypropylene that the bags are made from is often looked upon as non-recyclable but in actual fact it is recyclable it is just that soft plastic is harder to recycle. The other side to it is that most waste bin bags are used in general waste bins meaning that the majority go to landfill and are never recycled. Biodegradable bin bags are also available and can be used for general waste and then thrown into landfill that biodegrade.

   

How to stop foxes attacking bin bags and how to stop birds ripping bin bags.

Your Guide to – Bin Bags & Bin Liners

Here are some ideas on how to stop animals and birds from attacking your outside wheelie bins. Often bins can be smelly and attract all sorts of animals and birds that will do anything to get inside your bin. We have come up with some ideas below on how you can stop these creatures from making a mess in your garden.

Invest in a under kitchen sink food waste disposal unit grinder or gobbler.

Having a food waste disposal unit is a great way of disposing of waste food which often makes bins smell. These are simple to use - any waste food is pushed down the plug hole and ground up to pretty much nothing and then washed down the sink with water. This then takes the waste to the main sewer. Common brand names on the market for these units are Insinkerator and Reginox which are both great brands. They are also simple to install as well as very easy to use. Having a sink-fitted waste disposal unit will help stop your bins from smelling of food which foxes and birds get attracted to.

Your Guide to – Bin Bags & Bin Liners

Build a bin shed hut – great for wheelie bin storage

Another great way to stop foxes and birds from attacking your bins and making a mess is to build or buy a bin shed. These bin sheds come in a host of different sizes and are made from timber, plastic and metal. If you aren’t up to a bit of DIY yourself there is plenty to choose from online. Most bin sheds come with a lift-up lid giving you full access to the bin lids for easier filling.

So now you have your bin shed up, another great way to stop your bins smelling is to ensure that any food packaging is rinsed under the tap before it is placed in the bin. Wheelie bin liners are also another great way to line your wheelie bin keeping the inside fresh and dry.

It is also good to regularly clean out your wheelie bins with a detergent and sanitiser along with a powerful hose pipe/ pressure washer and a long stiff brush. Always best to clean out your wheelie bins on a grassed area so that the water soaks away quickly and it leaves minimum dirt and grime on the hard surface such as driveways and pathways.

Your Guide to – Bin Bags & Bin Liners

Install PIR Outside Lights

Another great way to deter foxes and birds at night is to fit PIR (Passive Infrared Sensor) outside lights. This will mean that any movement in the area will make the lights come on and deter the animal or bird. PIR lights are also great for when putting your rubbish out in the wheelie bin or as a general outside light. They work very effectively when you are outside as they only come on when you walk past and can be set up, so they only stay on a short time making them very cost-effective for running as well as often having LED bulbs.

   

How can I reduce bin bag wastage?

Bin bags that can be brought from a supermarket are often on a roll so anything from bin liners to wheelie bin liners. These can sometimes be difficult to use due to the perforations being too strong making them difficult to pull apart. What can also happen is that the perforations that you try and pull apart often don’t and you end up ripping a hole in the bottom of the bag. This all adds up to wasted time, wasted bin bags, and causing frustration.

Bin bags are also widely used across the away-from-home industrial sector across multiple industries such as food processing factors, restaurants, offices, schools, and healthcare. The types of bin bags sold for these types of industries typically come in a box of 100 or 200 which are available in a range of sizes, gauges and colours. Normally the sacks and bin bags inside these boxes are stacked up on top of each other (25 at a time) during the manufacturing process and then folded over in half or sometimes twice. They are then put inside another clear bag and this bag is then sealed. So, if it is a box of 100 bin bags you end up with four small bags of 25 bin bags. Now when you try and open the box of bin bags with a knife you often cut the first few bags which are then useless and must be put in the bin. Once you have opened the box you then have to unpack the bin bags out of the small clear bags and then unfold them all and pull out the one bag that you need. …and then how do you fold the next 24 up and get them back inside the clear bag and then the box? This is pretty much impossible, and you end up ramming the bags back into the box again and it starts looking like this…

Your Guide to – Bin Bags & Bin Liners

… by this time the place is a mess! You have several wasted bags and you have wasted time. So you don’t have to do this, the Pulahold® Sack Dispensing Box has been manufactured to make your life easy!

Your Guide to – Bin Bags & Bin Liners

A great way to reduce bin bag wastage is to use the Pulahold® Sack Dispensing Box. Pulahold® is great for any and every industry and will massively reduce overuse and wastage. Pulahold® has been designed so that only one bin bag is dispensed at a time. With unique interfolded sacks that dispense one at a time every time this dispensing box will save you time and money every time it is used. There is no need to cut the top of the box as it has an easy perforated top lifting flap that can be simply pushed down to start, and they open and closed every time you require a bin bag. See more on Pulahold® here.

   

What size bin bags do I need?

Well, this is a good question, and it often comes up! We have tried to make this as simple as possible below so that you know how to measure your bins and you can get the bin bags that are just right for you.

What size bin bag do I need for a round bin?

Here are a couple of easy steps that you can follow so you get your bin bags to fit just right!

Its easy when you know how, all you need to do is this…

1. Measure the circumference of your bin. That means to measure around the top of the rim. The easiest way to do this is to get a flexible tape measure or saw tape measure and hold it around the side of the bin at the top and you will get the exact size.

2. Then divide the circumference by two. Once you have done this it will give you the open-width dimension of the bin bag you need.

3. Now simply measure the height of the bin from the base to the rim. Now add on approximately 7” (18cm) onto the height and this will give you the length of the bin bag you require. The extra 7” will give you some overhang and will stop the bag from falling into the bin. This also helps if you have a rubber band around the top of the bin which holds the sack or if you need to tie the sack.

Your Guide to – Bin Bags & Bin Liners

What size of bin bag do I need for a rectangular or square bins?

This is also simple all you need to do is add up each of the sides of your rectangular or square bin and divide it by two.

1. Measure each side of the bin rim to get the total measurement of all sides of the bin.

2. Now divide the perimeter of your bin by two. Once you have done this it will give you the open-width dimension of the bin bag you need.

3. Now simply measure the height of the bin from the base to the rim. Now add on approximately 7” (18cm) onto the height and this will give you the length of the bin bag you require. The extra 7” will give you some overhang and will stop the bag from falling into the bin. This also helps if you have a rubber band around the top of the bin which holds the sack or if you need to tie the sack. This can also be used for a sack holder.

Your Guide to – Bin Bags & Bin Liners    

How much weight can my bin bags carry?

It all depends on what you are wanting to place in your bin bags. Bin bags range from a very light-duty bin liner that is often used for office bins right up to the thick heavy duty rubble sacks fit for a builder and his men! Bin bags are measured in gauges but what does this really mean? Well, the gauge relates to the thickness of the bin bag. So, this means the higher the gauge the more weight the bin bag can carry. To give you an idea if the bin bag is 140 gauge it is most likely able to hold and carry about 10kg of waste before the bag splits.

Below are some common gauges of bin bags and the weights that they can carry:

Light Duty

Normally bin liners used for office and classroom bins. Also great for around the home for use in bathroom and bedroom bins.

- 32 Gauge – Carries 3kg of waste

- 100 Gauge – Carries 6kg of waste

Waste Examples –

Your Guide to – Bin Bags & Bin Liners

• Paper

• Cardboard

• Printer and Toner Cartridges

• Plastic and Paper Cups

• Metal Drinks Cans

• Stationery

• Light Food Packaging

Medium Duty

Normally larger bin bags for use in kitchens, food processing areas, canteens and offices. These are also great for domestic waste and segregated recycling ideal for kitchen and garage bins around the house.

- 140 Gauge – Carries 10kg of waste

- 160 Gauge – Carries 12kg of waste

- 180 Gauge – Carries 15kg of waste

- 200 Gauge – Carries 18kg of waste

Waste Examples –

• Light Food Waste

• Cardboard

• Paper

• Plastic Bottles

• Food Packaging

• Fresh Food Prep Waste

• Leftover Food Waste

• Food Packaging

• Metal Cans and Bottle

Heavy Duty

Normally used for carrying heavy waste and for use in the trade by builders, joiners and industrial services. These are also great for use around the home for clearing up leaves and grass cuttings, moving soil and removing stones and rocks to the dump!

- 220 Gauge – Carries 20kg of waste

- 249 Gauge – Carries 24kg of waste

- 250 Gauge – Carries 25kg of waste

- 290 Gauge – Carries 30kg of waste

Waste Examples –

• Heavy Food Waste

• Heavy Packaging and Cardboard

• Scrap Metal

• Large Waste Items

• Garden Waste (Grass Cuttings and Leaves)

Request an online meeting by email: sales@hcinnovations.co.uk or call our team today on 01738 629839 for more information.

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