We Tried These Compostable Garbage Bags and Will Never Go Back

In a perfect world, we are all zero waste and have no garbage to send to the landfill. But if there's one thing humans are exuberantly unperfect about, it's making trash. In the United States, the total generation of municipal solid waste in 2018 was 292.4 million tons—or 4.9 pounds per person per day. After recycling and composting, about 146.1 million tons of that total was landfilled.

That most of our trash arrives at its landfill destination encased in thick, durable, eternal plastic trash bags, seems to really highlight our folly. What are we thinking?

Thankfully, the folks at Superbio have been thinking outside of the box, or the bag, as the case may be. The New Jersey-based company was founded in 2009 by two polymer scientists focused on the research and development of compost garbage and trash bags for both home and commercial use.

We tried the Superbio tall kitchen bags, and going back to conventional plastic bags seems senseless.

There are other brands to try and plenty of places to buy them, but if you prefer to avoid mega-retailers and want to support ocean conservation and clean-up, you can get the Superbio bags at Free The Ocean's plastic-free shop, where the purchase of each box funds the removal of 10 pieces of plastic from the ocean.

“I love finding a sustainable swap like these compostable tall kitchen garbage bags. Unlike with plastic garbage bags, I feel good knowing it won’t sit in a landfill for hundreds of years!,” says Mimi Ausland, co-founder of Free the Ocean.

Here's what else we love about the bags.

• Unlike so many "compostable" products that actually require commercial/industrial composting, these bags are home compostable, degrading to humus, carbon dioxide, and water within 180 days when placed in a standard compost pile.
• They have been awarded official compostable certificates from BPI and OK compost and Seedling from TUV, meeting both the US ASTM D6400 standard and the EU EN 13432 standard.
• The handle tie is convenient, and the star-sealed reinforced bottom helps to securely hold heavy loads.
  
• The 13-gallon capacity fits most standard tall kitchen trash bins. 
• They are strong, durable, and tear-resistant. The company advises to not let them sit for more than three days when the bag is holding organic waste, especially waste with a strong acidic/alkaline nature. We have noticed small signs of distress when pushing the limits of this advice, but have never had a complete failure of the bags.

Of course, reducing our trash output is the best thing we can do to lighten the load on our landfills and reduce the trash that finds its way into the oceans. But since we always advocate for progress over perfection, swapping truly compostable plastic for plastic that lasts lifetimes is a great step forward.

You can purchase Superbio Compostable Tall Kitchen Garbage Bags at Free The Ocean. A box of 30 is $15.95, and you can save 15% ($13.56) by subscribing. And remember, each purchase removes 10 pieces of plastic from the ocean!

(Also, don't miss Free The Ocean's daily trivia game, which removes a piece of plastic from the ocean each time you play.)

In support of Free the Ocean's mission to clean up the ocean and reduce plastic use, each month, we feature a product from their plastic-free shop. (Note: We do not make earn any commissions from these recommendations.)