When purchasing a Glasdon litter or recycling bin, choosing what goes on the inside can be just as important as the way it looks on the outside. So, we’ve compiled this handy guide with our recommendations to help you choose the right option for collecting waste in your bin.

What type of waste are you collecting?

Different types of waste can be better suited to certain types of liner.

• All dry waste including paper and newspapers

Here we would recommend using a sack for the waste. They are a lighter option that are generally easier to lift and manoeuvre when emptying, and almost all of the sacks we offer are made from 100% recyclable material too!

• Wet waste including food waste

For this type of waste we would generally recommend using a sack within a rigid liner to prevent any potential tears in the sack from creating mess within the body of the bin.

• Wet and dry waste including bottles, cans and mixed recycling

We recommend using a liner for this, as left-over liquids may potentially leak through the bottom of a sack, although a sack could also be used in conjunction with a liner as well. If there is the possibility that fizzy drinks cans or bottles will be disposed of in the container, we recommend a plastic liner over metal.

• Heavier waste such as glass bottles and jars

for this type of use we do offer reusable and washable woven sacks that are durable, offer protection and have sturdy handles to ease the transport of heavier waste. If there isn’t a woven sack available for your particular choice of bin, a plastic or metal liner would then be recommended.

Please note: for fire safety reasons, sacks or plastic liners should not be used with any bins that may be used to collect cigarettes.

Where is your bin going to be located?

Depending on where your bin will be located, may also help you decide on the best sack or liner solution.

• Busy public locations with high footfall

In outdoor areas where a lot of waste is going to be collected, we recommend using wheelie bins inside our specially designed wheelie bin housings. These allow for 240, 360 and even up to 2 x 360 litres of waste to be collected in one single housing unit, reducing the frequency of emptying needed.

• Busy indoor locations

For indoor areas where a lot of waste is going to be collected, we recommend using our sack holders with clear sacks for improved visible security. We have lockable C-Thru bins with a capacity of up to 180 litres, or our Orbis Sack Holder can be supplied as a single, double, triple or quad model, collecting up to 440 litres of waste.

• Marine environments such as harbours and seafronts

Saltwater exposure in coastal environments can cause corrosion of zinc coated liners over time, so if cigarettes are not going to be part of the waste collected, wheelie bins, plastic liners or sacks are recommended here.

More about sacks and liners

What are the benefits of a rigid liner?

Many of our bins are available with the choice of zinc-coated steel or moulded plastic liners. Both options carry many benefits, such as they offer protection from sharp objects that may be disposed of, and when used without sacks, there is a long-term reduction in operational costs, particularly where all dry waste is generally collected. Most of the liners we offer also incorporate carry handles, further limiting the risk from sharp objects, as well as evening out weight distribution for easier operation.

Rigid plastic or metal liner – some other things to consider: Smoking control - we strongly recommend that a Firexpire® or Firesafe™ safety device should be used for bins with smoking control features such as stubbing plates and integral ashtrays, and with Firexpire, a steel liner is always required. Noise - a big advantage of moulded plastic liners is that they are noticeably quieter during servicing and when waste is deposited into an empty liner. Weight - Plastic liners can weigh up to 75% less than steel liners, so may be more beneficial for caretakers in schools and other environments where cigarette waste is not going to be collected. Fizzy drinks waste - fizzy drinks tend to be acidic and can therefore accelerate the corrosion process of metal, so it may be more beneficial to choose a plastic liner.

While we have provided recommendations to maximise the longevity of your chosen liner, we understand there may still be occasions where a replacement is required. So, to ensure your bin is well maintained for operation, we offer spares and replacements for all of our plastic and metal liners, as well as additional sacks.

What are the benefits of a wheelie bin liner?

The wheelie bins that we offer for use with our wheelie bin housings range from 120 litres to 360 litres and are made from high density polyethylene material. This type of liner is ideal for busy places as large amounts of waste can be collected and easily manoeuvred for emptying. The Glasdon Jubilee™ 240 can house a 240 litre wheeled bin, or the even larger Modus™ 1280 Duo Recycling Bin Housing can house 2 x 240 litre or 2 x 360 litre wheeled bins. Find out more about wheelie bin housings and how they help combat litter in communities.

Liners at a glance:

Sacks and the Sack Retention System

Benefits of sack retention.

Our sack retention systems are predominantly robust metal band(s) that are fixed to the inner perimeter of the bin and hold the bin sacks securely into place. The bands are designed so that they lift, allowing for the bag to be hooked over and put back into position allowing for quick and easy sack replacement. Sack retention systems are a popular choice as when used with the correct sack, they can often help to maximise the capacity of the bin compared to using a liner. They also hold other benefits such as allowing for visibility of contents with a clear sack, their corrosion resistance and long life, as well as their reduced need for manual handling.

If you do decide on choosing a refuse sack as your insert choice, there is then the question of which sack is right for you.

Choosing the correct bin sack for your bin in important in making use of the bin’s full potential.

We offer a wide range of robust refuse sacks made from environmentally friendly materials in many different shapes and sizes so choosing the right one may seem daunting. To help ease the process for you, we have answered some frequently asked questions below that should help you to make the right choice.

• FAQ: What size sack do I need?

When it comes to choosing sacks, getting the right size is important. If you choose a sack that is too large for your bin will result in an unsightly overhang and a needless waste of plastic. Picking a sack that is too small, however, could lead to damage if forcing to fit the bin, or leave insufficient room for tying whilst emptying.

All of the sacks we offer have a maximum capacity stated on their page. If your litter bin has a capacity bigger than this, then this isn’t the right sack for you.

• FAQ: Why Choose a Woven Sack?

It’s very well known that plastic waste is one of the most pressing environmental issues at current, so choosing a reusable woven sack to collect your recyclable waste may be one way you want to try and help reduce plastic consumption. They can also be machine washed multiple times at environmentally friendly low temperatures of less than 30°c.

The range of woven sacks that we offer though, not only hold the benefit of helping to reduce plastic waste, but they are also made from polypropylene, a strong and durable fabric and feature robust handles. This gives the advantage of being a much sturdier alternative to regular sacks.

• FAQ: How do I find the right sack for my bin.

All of the sacks on our site have been labelled, coded and assigned to the products that we recommend for use with, so choosing the right one for your bin should be easy.

We’ve also put together the handy images below that show the right sacks for each of our bins. Have a scroll and see which is right for you.

Can’t find what you’re looking for? Then head over to our spares and accessories page. Each sack that we sell is labelled, coded and assigned to the products that we recommend for use with, to make it easier for you to find the one that is right for you.

You may notice on some of our products we offer more than one type of sack for the bin. Where possible, we like to offer a choice between black and clear sacks to suit your own requirements.

• FAQ: What colour sack do I need?

No matter how hard you try, there will always be some types of waste that cannot be recycled. This rubbish is collected in litter or general waste bins and it is recommended that this type of waste is collected in black bin bags.

Examples of general waste include contaminated food packaging, paper towels, ceramics and other waste that generally cannot be recycled.

When recyclables can be collected, we recommend using clear sacks to enable collection services to see that the contents are not mixed in with general waste.

Clear bin bags are also essential in many high security environments such as train stations, airports, and shopping centres. We have a range of sack holders for litter and recycling bin sack holders, specifically designed for higher risk areas that allow for visual inspection of contents for additional safety.

• FAQ: Are bin sacks environmentally friendly?

Sourcing sustainable materials and products is important to us, so almost all the bin sacks that we provide are made from recyclable materials. All the black and green sacks that we offer are made from 100% recyclable material, and almost all our clear sacks are too.

We also have green sacks that have been specifically designed for the Nexus Shuttle Food Waste Bin and are 100% certified compostable and biodegradable. This allows food waste to be segregated and disposed of in an environmentally friendly way.

So whether your waste is recyclable or not, our sacks are a responsible way of collecting your waste disposal.

If you require any additional support or advice, please contact or live chat with our team of Waste Management experts today.