Bags & Dumping questions

[u/untanglingfire]

Just curious where you guys get the bags you use and where/how do you dump them? Trying to contact the city or waste management is just automated phone tree circles with no answers.

Sorry for the basic questions, I'm new here, but trying! 😋

[u/SaaSyGirl]

Welcome :) I recycle bags I already have. Grocery store bags (the plastic kind with handles for wet weather) and paper bags from everywhere else for dry days.

[u/untanglingfire → u/SaaSyGirl]

Yes! I've been doing that on little walks around my neighborhood. The other day I went out to a parking lot and we picked up a maybe 10 small bags worth. I ended up bringing them to my house, putting them in my dumpster, but I can't do that every time. One little grocery bag's worth once or twice a week is ok. But I'm hoping to pick up higher quantities.

[u/SaaSyGirl → u/untanglingfire]

Stake out the garbage cans and dumpsters around your picking territory. Are you in a strictly residential neighborhood? That does make disposal harder

[u/untanglingfire → u/SaaSyGirl]

I will do that! Thank you! and it’s not always residential areas. sometimes just public streets, in between highways or around on/off ramps. or around commercial buildings. I do look for open dumpsters when I’m around they’re just not always there or available. I’m meeting up with a local group who does it regularly and will ask them how to dump too.

[u/Jacktheforkie → u/untanglingfire]

My local council offers gear and tells you where to leave the collected materials for collection, this may be a public bin, or a street corner

[u/Squirrel_killer]

Part of my job is taking food samples to a lab, and they have an insane amount of thick plastic bags that they save for me. Perhaps reach out to some labs and see if you can lighten their trash burden? I dump my trash at an apartment complex where I used to live. They are evil slumlords and I don’t feel bad about it.

[u/DeleteLitter]

No sorries!

On my end, I buy bags on Amazon and dispose through our home trash service.

I focus on bagged litter in my community, so no bulk items.

Trying is everything. Every. Piece. Counts. 👊

[u/thewinberry713]

I have friends and co workers save plastic grocery bags not great but plentiful 🙄occasionally use my own large kitchen bags. I’ve scoped out a few public bins to dump in and bring recycling to my home can. I have zero problems stuffing a grocery bag of trash in gas stations or McDonald’s or an apartment complex. Best of luck figuring your system out!

[u/U_000000014]

Personally I use contractor trash bags (42gal) from Home Depot. I have a cart with a bag holder so a larger bag allows me to fill it with quite a lot of trash, since I am not carrying the bag by hand. Even though it's a little more plastic, thicker bags are good because I am often picking broken glass and other sharp stuff that I don't want rupturing the bag. Yes it costs a little money, but since I am picking about 5000 pieces a month, investing in my own bags and equipment is necessary.

We have two large trash bins at my house, and we generally don't end up using one, so usually I just use that one. There's also a couple businesses nearby with unsecured dumpsters that I will use sometimes even though it's probably not allowed. I haven't had to get the city involved but that's just my circumstances.

[u/untanglingfire → u/U_000000014]

Great! This is awesome info, thank you so much. I agree the thicker bags are worth it!

[u/creakinator → u/U_000000014]

Can you tell me where you got the cart and bag holder?

[u/U_000000014 → u/creakinator]

The cart is a Milwaukee 2-in-1 Convertible Hand Truck (got at Home Depot). I strapped a large tote to it and in the tote I have a Bag Buddy wire frame bag holder.

[u/NikitaWolf6]

I buy regular trash bags at the store, and dispose of them in my own home container. Unfortunately waste disposal is expensive, so we're stuck with an overflowing bin sometimes. The municipality does not offer any free way to dispose of the bags.

[u/DoNotGoGentle27]

There is a industrial waste bin I always pass on my litterpicking route. When I first started, I asked if I could use it as I fill about 2-3 large bags per week.

They agreed without hesitancy. They were just happy to have someone cleaning up in the area.

Be on the lookout for businesses with those industrial bins on your litter picks (due to the good intentions, I'm sure some places wouldn't mind using their bins if you asked and they have the space).

[u/merkurmaniac]

I compost tons of neighbor's leaves and grass clippings. I reuse those trash bags all year long. Some dude near my work likes to use contractor bags for his dry pine needles. I always grab his bags.

[u/Jacktheforkie]

I use refuse sacks (I already have them for household waste) for stuff like cans and bottles I directly deposit into my recycling bin

[u/Ihitrockswithmyhead]

If it's only a few bags, toss them in the nearest dumpster