Tall kitchen trash bags are the workhorse of most American kitchens, usually sized between 13 and 15 gallons. If you're switching to compostable tall kitchen trash bags for the first time, size matters as much as certification. Get the size wrong and you'll either waste liner material on a half-empty bag or fight a bag that tears before it's full. This guide breaks down which sizes actually fit standard kitchen cans, how compostable material handles food waste differently than plastic, and what certifications to look for before you buy.
What Counts as a Tall Kitchen Trash Bag
In most US households, "tall kitchen bag" refers to the 13 gallon can that sits under the sink or in the corner of the kitchen. It's the most common trash can size sold in the country, which is why it's also the most common bag size searched for. Some households run slightly larger cans, closer to 15 gallons, especially in bigger kitchens or homes with more people generating waste.
GreeneWrap makes two sizes that cover this range. The 13 Gallon Compostable Trash Bags with Drawstring (30 count) fit standard tall kitchen cans exactly, at 24 x 27 inches with a 1 mil thickness and flat seal bottom. For households that need a bit more room or run a taller can, the 13-15 Gallon Compostable Trash Bags with Drawstring (30 count) measure 25 x 32 inches and come in at 1.2 mil, giving slightly more puncture resistance for a modest price difference. Both are BPI certified, TUV Austria certified, OK Compost HOME and OK Compost INDUSTRIAL certified, and meet ASTM D6400 and EN 13432 standards.
Compostable Tall Kitchen Trash Bags vs Smaller Food Scrap Bags
It's worth separating two use cases that often get lumped together. A tall kitchen bag lines the main trash can and handles everything: packaging, paper, general household waste. A food scrap bag is smaller, sits in a countertop pail, and collects only compostable food waste for transfer to a curbside program or backyard bin.
If you're managing both streams, you likely need two different products. The 1-2 Gallon and 2-4 Gallon Small Kitchen Food Scrap Compostable Trash Bags are built specifically for countertop pails, not full-size cans. Trying to use a tall kitchen bag for food scraps means you're paying for capacity you don't need and handling a bag that's awkward to tie off after a small amount of use. Match the bag to the bin, not the other way around.
Why Certification Matters More Than the Word "Compostable"
Anyone can print the word compostable on a bag. Certification is what proves it. BPI certification requires independent third-party laboratory testing before a product can carry the label, it's not something a manufacturer can self-declare. The same goes for TUV Austria's OK Compost marks and compliance with ASTM D6400 in the US or EN 13432 in the EU.
These standards aren't just paperwork. ASTM D6400 and EN 13432 both require a bag to reach 90% disintegration within a set timeframe under industrial composting conditions, high heat around 55-60 degrees Celsius, controlled humidity, and active microbial activity in a commercial facility. That's 84 days under ASTM D6400 or 90 days under EN 13432. Home composting is a slower process by design. OK Compost HOME certification requires 90% disintegration within 180 days at ambient backyard temperatures. If a bag only carries industrial certification, don't assume it will perform the same way in a backyard bin.
This distinction matters even more now that California's AB 1201 has been signed into law. The legislation requires products labeled compostable to carry third-party certification, bans PFAS from compostable labeling, and directs CalRecycle to develop clearer labeling requirements. It also targets a real problem: non-certified products that look identical to certified compostable bags but don't break down the same way, contaminating composting systems and, eventually, farmland soil. Certification is the only way to know what you're actually buying.
Handling Wet Food Waste Without Compromising the Bag
Compostable tall kitchen trash bags are suitable for wet food scraps, but only for short-term use. Moisture is exactly what triggers the breakdown process these bags are engineered for, so leaving wet waste sitting in the bag for more than a day or two accelerates degradation while the bag is still in your kitchen. That's the opposite of what you want.
The practical fix is simple: take the bag out on a normal schedule, don't let it sit because it's "not full yet." If your household generates a lot of wet waste, a smaller compostable food bags liner in a countertop pail, emptied daily, works better than trying to stretch out a tall kitchen bag over several days.
One limitation applies across all compostable bags, not just GreeneWrap's: sharp objects like broken glass or bones can puncture the material just as they would puncture a thinner plastic bag. Compostable film is not designed to be more puncture-resistant than conventional plastic, it's designed to break down differently at end of life. Wrap sharp items separately if you're worried about tears.
Where These Bags Actually Belong After Use
Compostable doesn't mean compostable everywhere. These bags are designed for active composting environments, not landfills, not the ocean, and not sitting in a regular trash bin indefinitely. Composting only starts when the material is exposed to the right combination of heat, moisture, and microbial activity, conditions a landfill or a sealed kitchen trash can simply don't provide.
You have three legitimate disposal paths. An industrial composting facility offers the fastest, most reliable breakdown, given the high heat and controlled conditions. A curbside composting program is the most convenient option if your city offers one, most US municipal composting programs accept BPI certified bags, though policies vary by city so it's worth checking your local guidelines before assuming yours qualifies. A backyard compost bin works too, provided the bag carries OK Compost HOME certification specifically, since backyard conditions run cooler and slower than a commercial facility.
What you shouldn't expect: throwing a compostable bag in with regular household trash headed for a landfill won't produce the same result. Like all organic materials, compostable bags decompose more slowly in landfill conditions where oxygen and moisture are limited. If your goal is to actually see these bags compost, they need to end up somewhere that provides active composting conditions.
Storage Tips Before the Bags Ever Reach Your Kitchen
Compostable material is stable under normal indoor storage, a cool, dry pantry or under-sink cabinet works fine. The one rule worth following: use the bags within 12 months of purchase. Unlike plastic, which can sit on a shelf indefinitely without changing, compostable material is designed to respond to environmental exposure over time. Buying a year's supply because it was on sale isn't the money-saver it looks like, buy what you'll realistically use within the year.
PFAS and What "Compostable" Should Never Hide
One reason certification matters so much right now: some compostable products on the market may contain PFAS, and current standards don't automatically screen for it. Always check certification and manufacturer confirmation rather than assuming compostable means PFAS free by default. GreeneWrap products are PFAS free and fluorine free, confirmed directly by the manufacturer, but that confirmation applies specifically to GreeneWrap, not to the category as a whole. This is part of why AB 1201 explicitly prohibits PFAS from compostable labeling going forward, and why BPI no longer certifies compostable fiber products with intentionally added fluorine. If a brand can't answer a direct question about PFAS, that's worth treating as a red flag.
Picking the Right Size, One More Time
- Standard 13 gallon kitchen can: 13 Gallon Compostable Trash Bags with Drawstring, 30 count.
- Slightly taller or larger kitchen can: 13-15 Gallon Compostable Trash Bags with Drawstring, 30 count, at 1.2 mil for extra durability.
- Countertop food scrap pail: 1-2 Gallon or 2-4 Gallon Small Kitchen Food Scrap Compostable Trash Bags.
- Bathroom or small office can: 4-6 Gallon or 6-8 Gallon Medium Kitchen Bathroom Compostable Trash Bags.
Buying the right size the first time saves you from either running out too fast or fighting an overstretched liner. If you're not sure which fits your can, measure the can's height and top opening before ordering, dimensions on each product listing are exact, not rounded. Compostable compostable trash bags are only worth the switch if they actually work in your kitchen day to day, and that starts with getting the size right.
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