Most business owners or managers don’t put too much thought into the trash can liners sizes they use. Not that anyone could blame them. Let’s face it – if you’re running a business, there’s a lot more on your mind than something that seems like such a simple decision, such as trash can liner sizes. Hospitals have patients to tend to, law firms have cases to investigate, restaurants have food to serve, and so on.
But even though there are really only two factors to consider – can liner weight (gauge) and can liner size – both of these need to be considered, because every business can benefit from properly fitted trash can liners.
The gauge of a liner is usually the first and only consideration. And yes, it’s incredibly important. You need your trash can liners to be strong enough to handle the waste your business discards. But trash can liner sizes are just as important, if not more so.
The wrong size can cause undue waste in your overall costs, and if you err on the side of small, then the weight may not be sufficient for the trash that gets thrown out. This causes more messes, and more time as well as productivity to be lost cleaning up a mess that could have been prevented.
And once you know the right size, you can move forward with confidence and not give it a second thought. But before you choose the right can liner, make sure you know the right dimensions of your trash cans and bins. Continue reading to learn more about what you should consider when choosing the right can liner sizes.
Trash Can Liner Shape
We all know the adage of not putting square pegs into round holes. Trash can liners are a perfect real-world example of this metaphor.
You can buy round liners and stretch them over square lids but this can lead to more messes and broken liners due to improper weight distribution, improper loading, and potential slips upon removal.
Or, if you’ve been buying the wrong shape but using a liner weight far greater than necessary, then you’re just being wasteful, and your business will suffer for it. Trash can shapes typically fall into four shapes:
Square bags are obviously not the best bet for circle or semi-circle cans, but something that gets ignored is they are also not the best fit for rectangular cans.
The idea is to reduce waste and inefficiency, so it’s important to understand these different shapes are more different than most people give them credit for. Dimensions are basic geometry, and figuring out the size of the bags you need is quite easy.
Note: the size of the bag you need is NOT the same as the volume of the can…
Trash Can Liner Volume
You can determine the best trash can liner sizes with some very simple math. The gallon volume is not going to be the same as the actual container because you will need extra space to wrap around the edge. That’s a given.
So what you’ll really need to figure out is the width and height of the bag you want based on the dimensions of the can.
Figuring the Right Width
With square cans, the formula for width is simple: twice the width of any size gives you the width of the bag you need. For circular cans, you may need a calculator. You take the diameter and multiply it by pi (3.14), then divide it all by two.
Figuring the Height
For the height of the bag, take the actual height of the can and add four inches for wraparound, plus half the width or diameter to line the bottom of the can.
Putting It All Together
This gives you the width and height of the trash can liners your business should use for its cans. It’s easier than figuring out the volume by gallons! (Though, if that’s how you choose to shop, volume is length x width x height; divide by 0.6225 to turn your cubic inches into gallons.) However, AAA Polymer has made it easier than ever to choose the right size can liner. Simply visit our Can Liner page and use our interactive tool to get the most bang for your buck.
Contact AAA Polymer for the Right Trash Can Liner Size
AAA Polymer offers decades of experience and a stellar reputation for delivering high quality resin material in trash can liners. In addition to a wide range of high-quality can liners, we also offer:
We pride ourselves in partnering with businesses to provide solutions that save money, such as commercial recycling as well as Certified Destruction.
But if you didn’t already know, we can also help you get exactly the right size liners for your trash cans, too. r Give us a call today to see how you can stop wasting money on the wrong liners!