Is there a classier place to toss your trash?

The Bite:
Smear on all the rouge you want, and throw on some high heels, but throwing plastic grocery bags away is just plain tacky. Reuse 'em as trash bags to save cash and plastic.
The Benefits: 
  • Totally free, while some of the liners we found cost $35/200.
  • If you can't recycle 'em, reuse 'em. The average American uses about 900 grocery bags per year. Less than 1% are recycled.
  • Less guilt on those (ahem) rare occasions when you forget to bring your own bag to the store.
Personally Speaking: 
Heather's so trashy she's got three simplehuman cans in her kitchen: compost, garbage and recycling.
Wanna Try: 
Or, don't line your cans at all - just wash 'em occasionally so they don't get nasty.
  • simplehuman Profile Can - stainless steel with a grocery bag-perfect fit ($30).
  • Grocery Bag Trash Can - made using recycled materials, it has easy-fit plastic grocery bag handle "lips" ($5).
  • Ragbag - stylish laptop carrier made out of some of those 900 bags generated by you ($38).
  • Anarkali Handbag - also made from plastic bags, and your purchase helps the urban poor in India ($32).
  • Earth911 - enter your zip to see if plastic bags are recyclable in your town.
Carolyn Levine
For those of you looking for an alternative to grocery bags for trash liners, I would have to recommend a line called EconoGreen. I would say that this line from Jig-A-Loo, as well as lots of other companies are doing their best to manufacture plastic bags that are better for the environment. The company I represent, Jig-A-Loo, is introducing a new line of plastic bags that are made from: 100% recycled plastic, 100% oxodegradable, 100% recyclable. These EconoGreen bags and drop cloths will completely break down within 2 years after use. Considerably less than traditional plastic bags and especially grocery bags that we use as garbage bags. For more information visit our website at http://www.jigaloo.com/ca/e_products_econogreen.php

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