While choosing the best Garden Waste Bags may not be on your top gardening priorities, there are many things to take into consideration when replacing an old bag.
The material, capacity, shape, and other features like handles and internal supports all affect how easy it is to fill and empty the garden waste bag, and how long it will last.
The most common materials used include polypropylene fabric and canvas, although more environmentally-friendly options such as waterproofed paper and jute are becoming more common. Because it is lightweight, tear-resistant and inexpensive, polypropylene fabric is often used to make heavy-duty bags for garden waste bags.
The type of gardening task you are undertaking and the amount of waste you will produce will determine which size bag you should choose. A smaller bag, such as 75 litres, will suffice if the main purpose of the bag is to store waste from daily tasks like weeding and clearing leaves. For larger jobs, a capacity of 125 litres or more should be considered.
Below we share the most common types of waste bags as well as a list of recommended garden waste bags.
Our guides to the best garden storage and compost bins will help you find more storage options. You can also improve your toolkit with our selection of the best secateurs, garden hand trowels, and loppers.
Different types of waste bags
Bags for garden waste can come in many shapes, sizes and materials. There are three main shapes for garden waste bags: a cylinder, square, and a traditional bag shape. You can also choose to use dustpan-style bags, which are flat on one side for leaf picking.
There are many bags that can be used to replace plastic bags, and are eco-friendly.
Pop-up
Pop-up waste bags have the advantage of being foldable and flat. They are a great choice for those with small garages or sheds.
Many bags will have an internal support system in the form a loop or spring mechanism. This should help to keep the bags in shape and make it easy to fill them.
Dustpan garden waste bags
The semi-circle shape of dustpan-style waste bags allows them to be laid flat on the ground in lengthways. This design is especially useful for collecting swept leaves and other debris.
To make it easy to empty the bags after clearing the leaves, the handles are often found on the rounded sides of the garden waste bags.
Compostable
Although most waste bags are made of polypropylene fabric material, biodegradable and compostable options have increased in popularity.
These waste bags can be made from waterproofed paper, jute or both. They are ideal for light or daily gardening. They come in a variety of sizes, but most have a small- to medium capacity.
Eight of the finest
Browse our selection of the top garden waste bags below, from paper to pop-up.
These garden sacks, made from waterproofed two-ply paper, are 100% compostable and biodegradable. Each bag holds 75 litres. The bags come in 10 packs.
