How to choose a can liner

When choosing a can liner for your waste bin, it’s important to take into consideration not only the size of the container you’re using, but also the sorts of things you’re going to be throwing away -- after all, a bag that tears as soon as you lift it out of the bin isn’t much help, and using a heavy-duty bag for a few sheets of paper is a waste.  With that in mind, OnTimeSupplies.com would like to offer some insights on how to choose the right can liner for you.


Can Size

The first thing to do is to determine the size of your waste bin.  Can liners are designed for use with a certain size container, so it’s a good idea to match your liner as closely as possible to the size of the can.  Small variations of a few gallons are to be expected, and in general, it’s better to get a liner that’s a bit too large for the can, since one that’s too small not only won’t fit properly, but also isn’t designed to hold as heavy a load.
 

Can Liner Density

Once you’ve figured out how big a bag you need, you need to determine whether you need a high-density (or Hi-D) or low-density (Low-D) bag.  Each is designed with different applications in mind, so knowing their strengths and weaknesses, along with what sort of waste your home or office generates, will allow you to choose the proper density.

Low-D:  Low-density bags are strong and rugged, designed to resist tears and hold together even when handled roughly.  The trade-off for this strength is that Low-D bags don’t accommodate as much weight as their Hi-D counterparts, so you don’t want to fill them with heavy objects.  Low-density liners have a thickness measured in mils, which are equal to one-thousandth of an inch, and when looking for larger bags, you also want a correspondingly higher number of mils.

Common uses for Low-D can liners:

• Sticks
• Rough yard waste
• Metal with sharp edges
• Objects with rough corners
• Plastic utensils
• Abusive transport conditions
• Glass bottles

High-D:  High-density bags are more suited to general office conditions than Low-D bags.  They can hold heavy loads (such as large amounts of paper), but if a High-D bag is punctured, it’s much less resistant to tearing.  For this reason, you should try to avoid throwing away rough objects into a High-D bag.  High-density liners have a thickness measured in microns, which are equal to one-thousandth of a millimeter, and when looking for larger bags, you also want a correspondingly higher number of microns.

Common uses for High-D can liners:

• Office waste bins
• Dense yard waste (dirt, grass)
• Rags
• Paper (including paper plates and napkins)
• Cans (without sharp edges)
• Smooth heavy objects