The other day I was thinking what a silly thing those garbage bags people buy to keep trash cans clean and the garbage together until it gets smashed in the back of garbage truck or lit in the burning barrel. Few things can you say you are directly paying for to buy then as part of it’s use paying for it get rid of it.

Now I get the advantage of garbage bags — they keep the trash can relatively clean and the trash together when you throw it in the dumpster. Trash trucks find loading trash cans and dumpsters with bagged garbage easier. If you burn your own, then it helps keep you from accidentally melting your trash can dumping the trash in burn barrel. But it still seems kind of silly to be spending money on something you buy to throw away.

Years ago, people didn’t use trash bags nearly as much. Maybe because the plastics were more expensive, maybe because it was more of a new thing. People might bag their kitchen garbage, but it was rare for regular waste baskets around the house or office to have trash bags. Maybe before recycling was big, the paper would line the cans and keep them neater. But I still can’t believe people spend money to throw it away.

Honestly, when I think I own my own land, I’ll just use the plastic or paper bags I get from the store and use them to line my wastebaskets or feed bags for the kitchen garbage. I don’t produce that much trash, and honestly if I am going to burn the burnable trash, the smaller bags are easier and quicker to chuck in the fire I have out back and burn. With a serious commitment to reduce waste and compost, honestly I think using the small bags you get for free really is a better way to go.