The US Sun tested four trash bag brands at various price points to determine which are cash wastes and trash-carrying treasures.
We’ve included Walmart’s Great Value, CVS’s Total Home brand, and classics Hefty and Glad from this week’s Bang for your Buck series.
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To rank the bag perfectly, we considered both price and sturdiness.
Was it easy to lift heavy objects? Liquid leaked on the kitchen floor?
All the brands we purchased provided a total of about 30-40 garbage bags, thus keeping the unit price constant for each purchase.
All of these questions came to mind when we started testing garbage bag brands that perfectly encapsulated “best value for money.”
Results are listed from lowest score to highest score.
1. CVS total home brand
- 20 points out of 30
- Price: $11.47
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I started using CVS trash bags as a baseline because they were in the middle of the cost.
Priced at $11.47, the sturdiness when loaded with heavy stuff didn’t surprise me.
The rest of the bag ripped apart easily, but I was worried it wouldn’t be enough to protect the surroundings from the trash inside.
In our final test, we checked how easily the Total Home brand could withstand leaks by pouring water into the bag.
It didn’t appear to be leaking at first, but it took several minutes before the water was all over the kitchen.
Overall, this garbage experience was a little boring.
Our final ratings were 7 for value, 7 for sturdiness, and 6 for leak resistance, giving Total Home an overall score of 20 out of 30.
2. Hefty
- 22 points out of 30
- Price: $11.59
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Next up is Hefty, one of the leading staple brands in the trash bag market.
These were also mid-tier priced at $11.59 for about 40 bags.
It was similar to Total Home in how easy it was to get the bag off the roll, but it outperformed the brand in some ways.
First, it felt a lot sturdier than the CVS brand.
I was still skeptical about its ability to withstand leaks, but it turned out I was right to worry.
While the bag didn’t completely fall apart when a small amount of liquid entered, it eventually dripped, making it a nightmare in the long run.
I had to lower Hefty’s overall score because I wanted to get more out of these trash bags.
The brand received an overall score of 22. 7 points for value, 9 points for robustness and 6 points for leak resistance.
3. happy
- 23 points out of 30
- Price: $15.29
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The Glad brand is well known in the garbage bag market, but is it really okay to use it?
I was skeptical about the Glad Force Flex option, given that the same number of bags cost $15.29, which is significantly higher than the competition.
But once I opened the package, I realized one more reason to pay more for Glad. It’s the smell.
The bag gives off a sweet scent that can mask even the most unpleasant rotting food odors that last for a week.
So it was an immediate advantage.
It worked relatively well when lifting large amounts of trash.
I didn’t have to worry about it tearing quickly, and when water got into the bag, it didn’t leak like other bags.
Glad scored 5 for price, 9 for sturdiness and 9 for leak resistance. Total score is 23 out of 30.
All in all, we were starting to think you could get exactly what you paid for.
4. Walmart Great Value
- 27 points out of 30
- Price: $6.97
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Some may be nervous about trying Walmart’s Great Value brand. Because the price is much cheaper than any other brand, only $6.97 for about the same number of bags.
Will the bag fall apart quickly?
I was a little surprised that Walmart’s Great Value brand was actually a great value.
It didn’t smell fancy or feel sturdy, but the bag was easy to peel off and felt like it held trash effectively without tearing.
And when the final test, the leak test, was done, Walmart was the only cheap option that had it all wrapped up – no water was seen dripping from the bag.
In awe that the cheapest brand comes out on top in terms of quality, I had to rank Walmart 27 out of 30. 10 for value, 8 for robustness and 9 for leak resistance.
final thoughts
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If you want affordable, quality home goods, don’t despair because it is possible.
Walmart’s Great Value brand was by far the winner in the garbage game.
Withstood heavy debris, leaks, and easily ripped from other bags.
Not all store options can deliver the quality level of a top consumer brand, but Walmart is an exception, at least when it comes to trash.
The next time you’re short on cash but need to stock up on trash bags, your local Walmart might be the place to be.
US Sun also tested five dish soaps from Walmart, Target, and Dollar Tree, many of which were excellent choices.
Also, check which glass cleaners from stores nationwide actually work best. The winner may surprise you.
