Trash Can Liner Basics

Many janitorial companies supply trash can liners to their customers. Last week in Part One of our article, we discussed why proper use of trash cans is important for odor control. This week we will cover how to choose liners. So how do you know what to recommend? Trash can liners used to be judged by overall thickness.  Now, however, they are broken down into the types of resin: low-density, linear low-density, and density polyethylene. To understand liners, it is important to become familiar with the basics of trash can liners.

• If you need a liner that resists tears and is puncture resistant, you need one that is a linear low-density polyethylene. These work well for trash that has sharp and jagged edges.
• If a lower gauge is suitable for your situation, a high-density polyethylene liner is a better choice.
• A resin that is still used in lower end liners is low-density polyethylene. Many manufacturers no longer use this type of resin.
• Gauge is a term that describes the thickness of a liner. A low-density liner is measured in mils and high-density liners are measured in microns.
• A mil is a measurement based on thousandths of an inch, .000. One mil equals .001". An example is a 50 mil bag would be 50 thousands of an inch. Low-density liners range from .3 to 4.0 mil in thickness.
• A micron one hundred-thousandths of an inch. Most high-density liners range from 5 to 24 microns.

The type of trash can liner you need depends on the type of building you are cleaning and the waste that you are collecting.  Linear low-density can liners, which come in various colors, are good for multipurpose applications.  They are puncture and stretch resistant when compared to high-density liners.  Low-density can liners are the most widely used liners in industry today.

Linear Low-Density Bags suggested applications:

• Rough yard trimmings
• Metal with sharp edges
• Plastic eating utensils
• Glass bottles
• Food

High-density trash can liners are more durable than the same thickness of polyethylene liners.  In addition they are up to three times stronger and weigh half as much as low density liners. High density liners offer superior vapor and moisture protection, are more temperature-resistant than low-density liners (-40 degrees F to +212 degrees F) and also have smaller, lighter cases, which lower freight, storage and warehousing costs. High-density liners need less petroleum in the manufacturing process so they are about one third the thickness of low-density polyethylene liners. When high-density liners are properly made they will rarely "zipper" if punctured. Because of the manufacturing process these liners are generally more cost-effective than other types of liners.

Hi-Density Bags suggested applications:

• Office waste baskets
• Paper
• Food without sharp edges
• Smooth heavy objects

Types of bottom seal:

• Star seal -- Designed without gussets, this is the most common type of seal. The star seal eliminates gaps along the seal allowing the bag to conform more easily to the shape of the waste container.
• Gusset seal -- Designed with both sides tucked in to form gussets. This seal is found on flat-style bags. The gusset seal liner is sealed through four layers of film where indented and just two layer of film in the middle, creating a potentially weak bottom seal.
• Flat seal -- Designed with a bottom seal to create a two-dimensional bag, much like a pillow case. Flat seals are strong along the bottom but may leak from the corners. Flat seal liners do not conform as well to the shape of most containers.

Can liner colors:

The most common colors of can liners are black, white and natural. The "see through" quality of natural lingers makes them ideal for environments where transparency is required for security purposes. Special colored can liners such as red, yellow, blue, brown and gray are often used to indicate hazardous waste while blue bags may identify recyclable waste.

Can liner Roll types:
A cored roll is where the can liners are rolled together on top of a cardboard cylinder. A coreless roll is where the can liners are tightly rolled together without the cardboard cylinder.

Case packaging:
You will find cases of can liners that are bulk pack, meaning that the can liners are packed in the cardboard case loosely or they will be packed in the cardboard case in coreless rolls. You may find the coreless rolls are much easier to dispense out of the case than the loosely-packed case.

Gauge Equivalents:
Lifting strength or (static load) is the best way to choose bag strength.

The following list is the approximate gauge equivalents for static load.

Choosing the right supplies will be a positive reflection on your cleaning business and will help keep your buildings looking neat and professional.  And if you sell supplies to your customers, they will appreciate your knowledge and recommendations.

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Steve Hanson helps owners of small cleaning companies build a more profitable and successful cleaning business through his online community at TheJanitorialStore.com. Read inspirational cleaning success stories at http://www.cleaning-success.com, and sign up for weekly cleaning tips at //www.thejanitorialstore.com.