Trellis Earth Creates Sturdy BioBags
By implementing easy green practices like composting and recycling, my husband and I quit taking huge bags of trash out to the dumpster in the alley a long time ago. We had a stockpile of evil plastic grocery bags that we used for the bathroom and kitchen trash, but we quit getting our groceries in plastic bags a long time ago. When the stockpile ran out, we needed a green alternative to buying trash bags.
For a while, we used a brand of corn-based trash bags purchased at our local green general store, but, truth be told, they were flimsy and couldn’t hold much weight, even when I double-bagged. When I used the smaller kind to line the compost mini-bin under the sink, I found myself a bag that broke down a little too quickly, leaving me with a bio-mess.
It was a catch-22 when Portland’s Trellis Earth sent me a sample pack of their corn-based biodegradable bags to review. Simply put, this bag blows the other bag I was using out of the water. It comes in a variety of sizes, from small enough for a few pieces of fruit to 33-gallon commercial trash bags, and it’s remarkably sturdy–so much so that I easily carried out the entire contents of my cat’s litter box to the dumpster with no stretching or straining on the part of the bag. In fact, I’d test the strength of their 33-gallon bags against any traditional plastic trash bag. They also have a shopping-bag with handles, identical in size and shape
to the pesky plastic bags you see blowing in the wind for businesses to use in lieu of traditional petroleum-based bags.
What’s the catch? It’s not widely-available in consumer-sized quantities. Trellis Earth only markets its biodegradable bags, take-out containers, and cutlery in bulk quantities, making them a viable options to businesses and resellers, but their resell base seems limited. Minor catch #2: although the bags are compostable (they’re breaking down just fine in my backyard pile), the company’s FAQ warns that the bags aren’t great for building soil.
How can you get your hands on some Trellis Earth bags? You could buy in bulk (it’s not inconceivable if you are used to buying large quantities of things) Ask your local green store to stock up by giving them Trellis Earth’s website, which will get them in touch with the company. They can resell you bags, or they could purchase shopping bags for use in their store. Either way, you’re putting less plastic in landfills.
August 28th, 2007 at 7:45 pm
You’re right it’s a shame that you can only order in bulk, although it should be a good opportunity for a US based website to buy in bulk and re-sell. Maybe when I move somewhere with a garden I could actually use some myself!
August 29th, 2007 at 4:43 am
Yes, you can only buy in bulk, but all you need are a few friends to split them with and you’ll be enjoying bio-bags AND savings… I did some quick math and these bags in bulk and with the free shipping that they offer is cheaper than buying two of the biggest boxes of hefty tall kitchen bags on amazon.com (the largest box I could find held about 240 bags, about half of one box of trellis earth bags)
August 30th, 2007 at 3:28 pm
Good idea Alotta! Buy bulk and then share. You’ll be eco-friendly in more ways than one.
August 30th, 2007 at 6:52 pm
Thank you Kelli for the great article on our company’s products. I’m a Territory Sales Manager here at Trellis Earth Products and I can help out anyone looking for smaller portions or partials of our bulk carton products. I have set up an eBay Store to assist anyone looking for these unique green corn products for not only just the commercial users but also for the occasional individual customers and households. Check out our eBay Store site at: http://stores.ebay.com/Trellis-Earth-Products
Not only do we supply these fantastic compostable bags that you mention in your article, but we have many other bioplastic biodegradable items as well. Check out all of our different cups, bowls, plates, trays, takeout boxes, and cutlery. If you have any questions or need to get in contact with me about our products, just email me at toms@trellisearth.com. Welcome to a greener, cleaner future…
August 30th, 2007 at 8:44 pm
Seriously, Tom, I can’t say enough about how impressed I am with the product…when my sample pack runs out, I’ll be checking out your eBay store.
August 31st, 2007 at 8:15 pm
thanks for the link to the ebay store tom!
September 30th, 2007 at 1:02 am
Kelli, Tom Smith here again…I’m a new member here now. I wanted to also mention that our 33 gallon commercial trash bag which you talk about in the article, will soon be available with a drawtape of which all is 100% biodegradable. We also have several other new bioplastic biodegradable products made from corn which will be available very soon here at Trellis Earth Store. Keep checking back on our eBay Store for new additional product lines. http://stores.ebay.com/Trellis-Earth-Products?refid=store
Trellis Earth Store - http://www.TrellisEarthStore.com
October 2nd, 2007 at 6:33 pm
Awesome, I will order some when I run out.