Bin Liners and Refuse Sacks by Size and Duty
Refuse sacks are bin bags chosen by two things: size and duty. The size has to fit the bin, so a liner cuffs over the rim without swimming inside it. The duty, or gauge, is how thick and strong the bag is. Light office waste takes a thin liner. Heavy or sharp kitchen waste needs a stronger sack.
What is the difference between a bin liner and a refuse sack?
Bin liners and refuse sacks are the same idea at different weights. A bin liner is the lighter bag you drop into a small indoor bin, like a pedal bin or an office desk bin. A refuse sack is the bigger, stronger bag used for general and outdoor waste. Shops use both words loosely.
This guide covers the indoor bins and general sacks that make up most of your order, the desk bins, pedal bins, washroom bins and kitchen bins. The large outdoor containers are sized differently and are dealt with separately in wheelie bin sizes in Ireland and the liners that fit.
What matters is not the name on the box. It is whether the bag fits the bin and holds the waste you put in it.
The bag has to survive the trip, not just the fill. A liner that is too small will slip down inside the bin every time someone drops something in. A bag that is too thin will split on the way to the bin store, and that mess costs you more time than the cheaper bag saved you.
What size bin liner do I need?
Start with the bin's capacity in litres, which is usually printed on the base or in the manual. Then pick a liner rated for that capacity or one step up. A good bag reaches the bottom of the bin and still has enough at the top to cuff over the rim by a hand's width.
If you have no capacity marking, measure the bin instead. You need the height, and the width across the top. The bag has to be taller than the bin so it can fold over, and wide enough to open out to the bin's shape without stretching. When you are between two sizes, take the larger one. An oversized bag wastes a little material. An undersized one is unusable.
- Desk and washroom bins: small liners, changed often, light waste only.
- Pedal and swing bins: the standard office and washroom size.
- Kitchen and back-of-house bins: larger sacks, stronger material.
- Wheelie bins and waste stores: heavy-duty wheelie bin liners.
The big outdoor bins have their own sizing, as set out in the wheelie bin guide linked above.
What does duty or gauge mean on a refuse sack?
Duty is how strong the sack is. It comes from the thickness of the plastic, often called the gauge, and from the type of plastic used. Light duty tears easily and is fine for paper. Heavy duty resists sharp edges and heavy loads. Buying by duty matters more than buying by price per bag.
Two sacks can look identical in the box and behave very differently once loaded. The test is what goes in the bin. Paper, packaging and general office rubbish sit lightly. Food waste is wet and heavy. Broken glass, tins and offcuts are sharp. Match the duty to the worst thing that bin sees, not the average.
| Duty | Typical waste | Where it is used |
|---|---|---|
| Light | Paper, dry office rubbish | Desk bins, washroom bins |
| Medium | General mixed waste | Shop floor, staff rooms, kitchens |
| Heavy | Wet, heavy, bulky waste | Catering kitchens, stock rooms |
| Extra heavy | Glass, tins, sharp offcuts, rubble | Waste stores, wheelie bins, sites |
Should you use black or clear refuse sacks?
Black sacks hide the contents, which looks tidier in customer-facing areas and in bin stores. Clear sacks let staff and waste handlers see what is inside, which helps with recycling checks and with spotting anything that should not be in there. Many businesses use both, one colour per waste stream.
Colour is also the cheapest way to sort waste without buying new bins. Give each stream its own sack colour, put a sign on the bin, and staff learn it in a week. If your waste contractor asks for a particular colour for recycling or for a specific stream, follow that. It saves you a rejected collection.
How many sizes should you keep in stock?
Two or three sizes cover almost every business. Walk the site and list every bin you own. You will usually find they fall into a small bin group, a general bin group, and one or two large bins out the back. Buy one liner for each group, in the right duty, and stop there. More sizes than that means staff guessing at the store cupboard and grabbing whatever is nearest.
Set a par level for each size, the minimum number of boxes you keep on the shelf, and reorder when you hit it. That is the same routine described in the washroom and janitorial supplies guide, and it works just as well for commercial toilet rolls and paper hand towels.
Order refuse sacks by the box
Bin liners and refuse sacks in every common size and duty, at trade prices, with fast delivery anywhere in Ireland.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a bin liner and a refuse sack?
They are the same product at different weights. A bin liner is the lighter bag for small indoor bins such as pedal bins, desk bins and washroom bins. A refuse sack is the larger, stronger bag for general and outdoor waste. The names are used loosely, so buy on size and duty rather than on the word.
What size bin liner do I need?
Start with the bin's capacity in litres and pick a liner rated for it or one size up. If there is no marking, measure the bin's height and the width across the top. The bag should reach the bottom and still cuff over the rim by about a hand's width. When in doubt, go larger.
What does gauge mean on a refuse sack?
Gauge describes how thick the plastic is, which sets how strong the sack is. A thin gauge suits dry paper and light office waste. A thicker gauge handles wet, heavy or sharp waste without splitting. Choose the gauge for the worst thing that bin sees, not for the average load.
What refuse sacks do I need for kitchen waste?
Kitchen waste is wet and heavy, so use a heavy-duty sack rather than a standard bin liner. Food waste adds weight fast and bones, tins and packaging can pierce a thin bag. A stronger sack costs a little more per bag and saves you cleaning up a split bag on the floor.
Should I use black or clear refuse sacks?
Black sacks hide the contents and look tidier in customer areas and bin stores. Clear sacks let staff and waste handlers see what is inside, which helps with recycling checks. Many businesses use both and give each waste stream its own colour. If your waste contractor asks for a set colour, follow that.
How many bin liner sizes should a business keep?
Two or three is usually enough. Walk the site and group your bins into small indoor bins, general bins and large outdoor bins. Buy one liner size for each group in the right duty. Keeping more sizes than that leads to staff guessing at the store cupboard and using the wrong bag.