How to measure your waste bags correctly

Essex Supplies like to try to help.

One of the questions we are regularly asked is how do you measure a refuse sack or bin liner to order the correct product?

Please see the tips and support video below that will hopefully answer your question.

Choosing the correct refuse sack can make great improvements to a waste management strategy, improve recycling participation rates, and reduce contamination.
The standardised colour for a waste bag is typically black and often used for general domestic waste, however, refuse sacks can be supplied in an array of colours and opacities.

Coloured sacks are increasingly used to denote a specific waste stream and/or treatment process.

For waste which needs to be analysed or is prone to contamination, often transparent or clear (natural) sacks are used so the waste operative can see the contents. It will help with the detection and removal of any items that have been wrongfully captured

How to calculate bag size?
Lay the bag on a flat surface and measure the face width. Now extend the gusset by pulling both sides in different directions to gain the open width. Finally, measure the length of the liner. If the bag is not gusseted, only measure the open width and length.

Example:
Face Width = 457mm
Open Width = 737mm
Length = 965mm
The final gusseted bag size would be (457) x 737 x 945mm.
The final non-gusseted bag size would be 737 x 945mm