Sizes & Bags

The best bulk trash bags

Nobody enjoys storing a 200-count box of liners, and everybody enjoys not buying bags for a year. The only real decisions are count, gauge and whether you need a drawstring at all.

By Ryder M. · Last reviewed November 10, 2026

Large waste bins with black liners folded over their rims

Lid & Liner is reader-supported. If you buy through a link on this page we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It never changes which product we rank first — how we pick and how we make money.

The short answer

Buy Plasticplace 8 Gallon Trash Bags, 200 Count. Two hundred drawstring liners is roughly a year of bathroom and office bins for most households, and 0.7 mil is the right gauge for waste that is light. The budget pick is the Aluf Plastics RL-3036XH 100-count liner, the cheapest plastic per bag on this site, aimed at a garage or commercial can rather than a kitchen. If your can takes a coded simplehuman liner, the Reli. Code K 225-count is the bulk way out of that subscription.

#	Product	Best for	Price
01	Plasticplace 8 Gallon Trash Bags, White Drawstring Liners, 0.7 Mil, 200 CountA 200-count case of unscented 8-gallon drawstring liners at a stated 0.7 mil - the lowest cost per bag here if you actually use them.	Best bulk buy	$23.49 · View on Amazon Price as of November 14, 2026. #ad How we make money
02	Aluf Plastics RL-3036XH 20-30 Gallon Can Liners, 30 x 36 in, 100 CountA 100-count case of 30 by 36 inch high-density liners, sold under a reorderable part number, at the lowest cost per bag here.	Best cost per liner	$18.46 · View on Amazon Price as of November 14, 2026. #ad How we make money
03	Plasticplace 20-30 Gallon Can Liners, 1.2 Mil, Black, 30 x 36 in, 125 CountThe liner to buy for a round 20-gallon utility can: 30 by 36 inches flat, 1.2 mil, with both numbers printed instead of a nominal gallon figure.	Best commercial liner	$31.69 · View on Amazon Price as of November 14, 2026. #ad How we make money
04	Teivio 20 Gallon Large Drawstring Trash Bags, Fits 18-20 Gallon Cans, 120 CountThe high-count option: 120 drawstring bags stated to fit 18-20 gallon cans, which is the narrowest fit claim anybody makes at this size.	Best bulk count	$26.99 · View on Amazon $30.99 · 13% off · Price as of November 14, 2026. #ad How we make money
05	Reli. Code K Trash Bags Compatible with simplehuman Code K, 225 CountThe bulk version of the same idea: 225 Code K liners, stated to the same 35-45 liter fit as the branded bag.	Best third-party bulk	$49.99 · View on Amazon Price as of November 14, 2026. #ad How we make money
06	Teivio 8 Gallon Strong Drawstring Trash Bags, Black, 115 CountA black 8-gallon drawstring liner in a 115-count - the pick when the can is open-topped or the contents are nobody's business.	Best opaque liner	$15.49 · View on Amazon Price as of November 14, 2026. #ad How we make money

To compare these properly, divide the live price in the table by the count in the column below. We deliberately do not print a cost-per-bag figure in the text: it would be out of date within a week, and the table already carries the current number with the date it was captured.

Drawstring or flat-pack

This is the decision people get wrong when they first buy in bulk, and it is worth about a third of the price difference.

Drawstring liners cost more per bag and are worth it in a kitchen or bathroom, where somebody has to carry the bag through the house. The Plasticplace 8 gallon and the Teivio boxes are drawstring.
Flat-top liners have no closure at all - you gather and knot them. They are what commercial kitchens use, they are far cheaper per bag, and they are the right answer for a garage can, a workshop or a can that never leaves the room. The Aluf and Plasticplace 20-30 gallon boxes are these.
Gauge matters more than brand. 0.7 mil is fine for paper and packaging. 1.2 mil survives a broken plate. Paying for 1.2 mil to line a bathroom bin is money thrown away.
Count is not the same as value. A 225-count box of coded liners and a 100-count box of commercial liners are not comparable products even when the box price is similar.

If you are not sure which size can you are actually buying for, trash bag sizes explained and the trash can size chart will settle it in a minute, and trash can liners vs trash bags explains why the commercial liners here are cut differently.

Who each pick is for

Pick	Who it is for	Count	Closure
Plasticplace 8 Gallon, 200 ct	Bathroom and office bins, about a year's worth	200	Drawstring
Aluf RL-3036XH 20-30 Gallon	Garage, workshop, cheapest per liner	100	Flat top
Plasticplace 20-30 Gallon, 1.2 mil	The same job when the waste is sharp	125	Flat top
Teivio 20 Gallon	An 18-20 gallon kitchen or utility can	120	Drawstring
Reli. Code K Compatible	A simplehuman Code K can, bought out of the subscription	225	Drawstring
Teivio 8 Gallon Black	Opaque liners for a bathroom or bedroom bin	115	Drawstring

Counts, gauges and stated can fits are the manufacturers' own listing figures.

The picks in full

01 — Best bulk buy

Plasticplace 8 Gallon Trash Bags, White Drawstring Liners, 0.7 Mil, 200 Count

A 200-count case of unscented 8-gallon drawstring liners at a stated 0.7 mil - the lowest cost per bag here if you actually use them.

Capacity: 8 gallons
Count: 200 bags
Gauge: 0.7 mil (manufacturer's figure)
Closure: Drawstring
Scent: None

Plasticplace is a liner supplier rather than a supermarket brand, which shows in two ways that matter: it publishes a mil figure, and it sells in counts built for places that go through bags. At 200 to a case the per-bag cost is the lowest on this page. Unscented, drawstring, and sized to an 8-gallon can rather than to a shelf label.

What we'd flag: 0.7 mil is a light film - lighter than the Glad medium - so this is a volume-and-price pick, not a strength pick. Two hundred bags is also a two-year supply for a single bathroom bin, and a box of liners stored in a hot garage for two years does not improve. Buy the case for a busy kitchen or an office, not for a guest bathroom.

$23.49 · View on Amazon

Price as of November 14, 2026. #ad How we make money

02 — Best cost per liner

Aluf Plastics RL-3036XH 20-30 Gallon Can Liners, 30 x 36 in, 100 Count

A 100-count case of 30 by 36 inch high-density liners, sold under a reorderable part number, at the lowest cost per bag here.

Capacity: 20-30 gallons
Flat size: 30 x 36 inches
Film: High density, stated 1.5 mil equivalent
Count: 100 liners
Part number: RL-3036XH
Closure: None (flat top)

High-density film is thin and stiff rather than thick and stretchy, which makes it very good at resisting punctures from packaging and poor at stretching around an awkward load. For a garage can, a recycling station or a workshop bin that mostly swallows cardboard, that trade is the right way round, and the per-bag cost is a fraction of a drawstring kitchen bag. The RL-3036XH part number is also the kind of thing that lets you reorder the identical bag in two years.

What we'd flag: "1.5 mil equivalent" is not 1.5 mil. It is the industry's way of saying a thinner high-density film performs like a thicker low-density one, and the actual gauge is substantially less. High-density film is also noisy, tears from a nick rather than stretching, and has no drawstring at all.

$18.46 · View on Amazon

Price as of November 14, 2026. #ad How we make money

03 — Best commercial liner

Plasticplace 20-30 Gallon Can Liners, 1.2 Mil, Black, 30 x 36 in, 125 Count

The liner to buy for a round 20-gallon utility can: 30 by 36 inches flat, 1.2 mil, with both numbers printed instead of a nominal gallon figure.

Capacity: 20-30 gallons
Flat size: 30 x 36 inches
Gauge: 1.2 mil
Count: 125 liners
Closure: None (flat top)

This is the other product that comes back when you search for 20-gallon bags, and it is a completely different object from a tall kitchen drawstring bag. Thirty inches flat gives roughly a 19-inch diameter, which is the width of a round 20-gallon utility container, and 36 inches of height gives you the cuff to fold over a rim with no retaining ring. Plasticplace printing both the gauge and the flat size is the reason this takes the pick over the dozen unbranded cases beside it.

What we'd flag: there is no drawstring, so in an open-top can it will slide unless you cuff it over the rim - and in a tall, narrow 20-gallon kitchen can it is the wrong shape entirely and will pool in the bottom. This is a drum and cart liner, not a kitchen bag.

$31.69 · View on Amazon

Price as of November 14, 2026. #ad How we make money

04 — Best bulk count

Teivio 20 Gallon Large Drawstring Trash Bags, Fits 18-20 Gallon Cans, 120 Count

The high-count option: 120 drawstring bags stated to fit 18-20 gallon cans, which is the narrowest fit claim anybody makes at this size.

Capacity: 20 gallons
Stated fit: 18-20 gallon cans
Count: 120 bags
Closure: Drawstring
Gauge: Not published

Counts are the whole economic story at 20 gallons. Household brands sell this size in 80s at best and often in 20s, so the cost per bag runs well above the 13-gallon aisle. A 120-count fixes that. The stated 18-20 gallon fit is also a narrower and more honest claim than a bare "20 gallon", and narrow is what you want - a bag with too much slack slumps into the can, and one with too little will not fold over the rim.

What we'd flag: no gauge figure, no bag dimensions, and Teivio is a marketplace brand with no spec page to check, so there is nothing to verify the fit claim against except the listing itself. Buy one box before you commit to a case.

$26.99 · View on Amazon

$30.99 · 13% off · Price as of November 14, 2026. #ad How we make money

05 — Best third-party bulk

Reli. Code K Trash Bags Compatible with simplehuman Code K, 225 Count

The bulk version of the same idea: 225 Code K liners, stated to the same 35-45 liter fit as the branded bag.

Fits: simplehuman Code K cans, 35-45 liter / 9-12 gallon
Count: 225 liners
Closure: Drawstring
Brand: Third-party, not simplehuman

At two liner changes a week a 100-count box is a year's supply, so a 225-count is two years of not thinking about it - and the cost per bag at this count is the lowest coded-liner figure we found. Reli. states the same 35-45 liter and 9-12 gallon fit range simplehuman publishes for Code K, which is the number that has to match.

What we'd flag: the same warranty caveat applies, and buying 225 of anything before you have checked the fit is a mistake - buy a small pack of the branded liner or the Plasticplace first, confirm it sits right in your can, then order the case. Film stored more than a couple of years, especially somewhere warm, does not improve.

$49.99 · View on Amazon

Price as of November 14, 2026. #ad How we make money

06 — Best opaque liner

Teivio 8 Gallon Strong Drawstring Trash Bags, Black, 115 Count

A black 8-gallon drawstring liner in a 115-count - the pick when the can is open-topped or the contents are nobody's business.

Capacity: 8 gallons
Count: 115 bags
Closure: Drawstring
Color: Black, opaque
Scent: None stated

Most 8-gallon bags are white or translucent, and in an open-top bathroom or office bin that means the contents are on display. An opaque black liner solves a problem that the white bags simply do not address, and it is the standard choice in a bathroom, a bedroom, a home office or a rental where the can has no lid. The 115-count sits between the supermarket boxes and a full case on cost per bag.

What we'd flag: no gauge is published, so you are buying on the word "strong" rather than a number. A black liner also hides a leak until it has reached the floor, which is the trade you make for privacy - check the base of the can when you change it rather than assuming.

$15.49 · View on Amazon

Price as of November 14, 2026. #ad How we make money

Storing a bulk box without hating it

Split the box at the door. Keep a sleeve of 20 under each can and the rest of the box somewhere boring - a garage shelf, the top of a wardrobe. A 200-count box under the sink is why people stop buying in bulk.
Drop a sleeve under the liner in the can itself. The next bag is then where you need it at the exact moment you need it, which is the one trick that makes a household change the bag more often.
Do not bulk-buy scented. Perfume fades in storage and you will be living with the same scent for a year. The best unscented trash bags is the safer bulk buy.
Check the cut, not just the gallons. A 20-30 gallon liner measured 30 by 36 inches fits a 32-gallon round can properly; a 20-gallon drawstring bag does not. Why your trash bag does not fit covers the failure.

The two we would actually stock: Plasticplace drawstring for the bins inside the house, Aluf flat-pack for the can in the garage.

Best bulk buy

Plasticplace 8 Gallon Trash Bags, White Drawstring Liners, 0.7 Mil, 200 Count

A 200-count case of unscented 8-gallon drawstring liners at a stated 0.7 mil - the lowest cost per bag here if you actually use them.

$23.49 · View on Amazon

Price as of November 14, 2026. #ad How we make money

Best cost per liner

Aluf Plastics RL-3036XH 20-30 Gallon Can Liners, 30 x 36 in, 100 Count

A 100-count case of 30 by 36 inch high-density liners, sold under a reorderable part number, at the lowest cost per bag here.

$18.46 · View on Amazon

Price as of November 14, 2026. #ad How we make money

Common questions

What is the best bulk trash bag to buy?

Plasticplace 8 Gallon, 200 count, for bins inside the house - it is a year of liners for most households at a sensible gauge. For a garage or workshop can, the Aluf 20-30 gallon flat-pack is cheaper per bag.

Is buying trash bags in bulk actually cheaper?

Yes, usually by a wide margin per bag. Compare by dividing the live price in the table by the count, not by comparing box prices - the counts here range from 100 to 225.

What is the difference between a liner and a drawstring bag?

A flat-top liner has no closure and is gathered and knotted; a drawstring bag closes itself. Liners are much cheaper per bag and are what commercial kitchens use.

Can you buy bulk bags for a simplehuman can?

Yes. Third-party liners cut to the Code J and Code K patterns are sold in 50 to 225 count boxes, which is far more per bag than the branded dispenser packs.

What gauge should bulk bags be?

0.7 mil for paper and packaging, 1.2 mil for anything sharp or heavy. Paying for 1.2 mil to line a bathroom bin is wasted money.

Where should you store a 200-count box?

Not under the sink. Keep a sleeve of about 20 under each can and the box somewhere out of the way - that is the habit that makes bulk buying stick.

Sources

Every specification on this page traces to one of these, checked at the time of writing. Where a manufacturer does not publish a figure, the page says so rather than estimating it.

The short answer

Drawstring or flat-pack

Who each pick is for

The picks in full

Plasticplace 8 Gallon Trash Bags, White Drawstring Liners, 0.7 Mil, 200 Count

Aluf Plastics RL-3036XH 20-30 Gallon Can Liners, 30 x 36 in, 100 Count

Plasticplace 20-30 Gallon Can Liners, 1.2 Mil, Black, 30 x 36 in, 125 Count

Teivio 20 Gallon Large Drawstring Trash Bags, Fits 18-20 Gallon Cans, 120 Count

Reli. Code K Trash Bags Compatible with simplehuman Code K, 225 Count

Teivio 8 Gallon Strong Drawstring Trash Bags, Black, 115 Count

Storing a bulk box without hating it

Plasticplace 8 Gallon Trash Bags, White Drawstring Liners, 0.7 Mil, 200 Count

Aluf Plastics RL-3036XH 20-30 Gallon Can Liners, 30 x 36 in, 100 Count

Common questions

What is the best bulk trash bag to buy?

Is buying trash bags in bulk actually cheaper?

What is the difference between a liner and a drawstring bag?

Can you buy bulk bags for a simplehuman can?

What gauge should bulk bags be?

Where should you store a 200-count box?

Sources

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