Glad and Hefty are two of the most well-known household trash bag brands. Each brand offers a variety of trash bags and has its own specialties. If you’ve ever tried one of these brands, then you understand why they’re so popular.
Glad and Hefty both advertise their trash bags as being extra strong and providing superb leak protection. To determine which is the better trash bag, we’re going to take a look at the products they offer and answer some pressing comparison questions.
Are you curious about the difference between Glad and Hefty? Want to know which has the better trash bag? Well, you’re in luck! We’re going to do an in-depth review of both brands and their products to conclusively determine which is the better trash bag.
What’s the Difference Between Glad and Hefty Trash Bags?
Glad and Hefty have several similar trash bags. However, there is a major difference between these two brands. Some of Glad’s trash bags have flex technology that allows the bags to stretch without ripping or tearing.
Hefty’s trash bags are meant to stretch and have some protection against ripping and tearing, but it’s not nearly as effective as Glad’s products. We’ll discuss this in more detail later in this guide.
Glad
The Glad brand was established in 1963 by David Darroch. David Darroch was the CEO of Union Carbide, which is the company that owned Glad until 1985, when they were acquired by the First Brands Corporation. This company was then acquired by The Clorox Company, who still owns the rights to Glad to this day.
This brand’s first product, Glad Wrap, was released in 1963. Following that, this brand focused on releasing products that helped their customers manage food storage and waste through trash bags, reusable food containers, and more.
Glad offers a wide variety of products and has a strong focus on sustainability. They’ve released multiple products to help eliminate waste and become more eco-friendly, including compostable and recyclable garbage bags.
What Types Of Trash Bags Does Glad Offer?
Glad has several types of trash bags available. All of their products are made with the purpose of making their customers’ lives and waste easier to manage. Let’s take a look at the different types of trash bags Glad offers.
- Forceflex
- Forceflex Plus
- Forceflex Plus Recycled Materials
- Black Bags
- Lawn & Leaf
- Quick Tie
- Scented
- Forceflex Black Bags
- Glad With Clorox
- Tall Kitchen
- Compactor Bags
- Small & Medium Bags
- Recycling Bags
- Compostable Bags
That’s quite the variety! Let’s go into more detail about a few of these bags.
Read our article on Glad Forceflex vs Forceflex Plus garbage bags here!
Recycling vs Compostable Bags
Glad recycling bags are perfect for holding all your paper, plastic containers, cans, and other recyclables. You can carry your recyclables to the curb in these bags and the bags themselves are able to be recycled through most municipal programs. Instead of throwing every can or piece of paper into your recycling bin individually, you can collect them in a Glad recycling bag and carry everything out in one trip.
The compostable bags are 100% compostable. These bags are made of vegetable materials such as corn and potato starch so, once they’re exposed to enough moisture, they’ll break down. You can use these to compost yourself, or bring them to a local composing program.
Tall Kitchen vs Compactor Bags
The Glad Tall Kitchen bags are perfect for holding all the trash accumulated in your kitchen. It has OdorShield technology to trap, lock-in, and eliminate even the toughest odors. These bags can stretch without ripping to accommodate your trash and they have easy to tie handles.
The compactor bags are made specifically to fit compactors and hold the extra weight of that trash. These heavy-duty bags fit most compactors and have a key-lock closure that makes them capable of holding in even the heaviest of loads.
Forceflex vs Forceflex Plus
The Forceflex bags are perfectly suited for particularly messy or smelly garbage. They can fit most trashcans and have special leak-preventive measures in place such as their checkerboard double layered pattern.
Forceflex Plus trash bags have most of the features of the original Forceflex bags, but with a few additions. These bags have twice the holding leak protection of the original Forceflex bags. They come with double side seams, reinforced bottoms, and RipGuard technology to keep your garbage where it belongs- in the bag!
Hefty
Hefty was established in the early 1990s as part of Mobil, however they were acquired by Reynolds Consumer Products in 2010. This company is all about finding solutions to make simple household tasks easier through innovative food and waste products.
This company was the first to produce drawstring garbage bags, foam plates, and slider food storage bags. They have continued to put out new products and have now made changes to help support the environment.
Hefty has produced compostable trash bags and trash bags made from 20% recycled materials in their efforts to help combat waste-related environmental problems and support the sustainability efforts.
What Types Of Trash Bags Does Hefty Offer? 
Hefty offers a broad range of trash bags ranging from the most simple to the most eco-friendly. Let’s take a closer look at the types of trash bags they offer.
- Ultra-Strong Kitchen Trash Bags
- Strong Kitchen Trash Bags
- Multipurpose
- Lawn & Leaf
- Small & Medium
- Contractor
- Renew
- Compostable
- Recycling
They certainly have plenty of variety! We’re going to take a closer look at some of the trash bags they offer, so you can better see what they have to offer.
Renew vs Compostable vs Recycling
Hefty recycling bags are perfect for collecting your recyclables and makes the job of carrying them out to the recycling bin much easier! You can use these bags for all of your recyclables and they come in 13 gallon and 30 gallon sizes.
The compostable bags are 100% fully compostable. You can bring them to your local food and yard waste collection programs, and it helps keep more trash bags from ending up in the landfills.
The Hefty Ultra-Strong renew bags are one of their most eco-friendly options. These bags are made from 20% recycled materials and are infused with Arm & Hammer for continuous odor control.
Ultra-Strong vs Strong Tall Kitchen Bags
These bags are fairly similar, but there are some key differences. Both bags are tough enough to hold heavy loads of trash and are able to fit most trash cans. They each have drawstrings that help the bag stay and place and keep it securely closed.
However, the Ultra-Strong bags also have tear-resistant technology and are equipped with Arm & Hammer for extra odor control. They also also in a wider variety of fragrances than the original Strong Tall Kitchen Bags.
Comparison Questions (Glad vs Hefty Trash Bags):
Which Brand Offers The Strongest Trash Bags?
Glad and Hefty both have bags that are designed to hold heavy loads of garbage. They each have bags that are designed to prevent ripping or tearing. However, Glad’s Forceflex Plus trash bags are much stronger than Hefty’s products.
These trash bags have two layers, double side seams, and reinforced bottoms to truly keep your trash in the bag, where it belongs! While Hefty’s similar trash bags have some degree of reinforcement, it’s not nearly as strong as Glad’s Forceflex Plus bags.
Which Brand Is More Affordable?
Hefty markets themselves as a brand that provides high-quality products for a lower price point than their competitors. We’re going to see if that’s true!
To compare the price of Glad and Hefty’s trash bags, we’re going to compare a few of their similar products, and break their price points down per individual garbage bag. Here’s a table showing this breakdown:
| Trash Bag | Price Per Trash Bag |
| Hefty Compostable | $0.32 |
| Glad Compostable | $0.65 |
| Hefty Ultra Strong | $0.12 |
| Glad Forceflex Plus | $0.24 |
| Hefty Recycling | $0.17 |
| Glad Recycling | $0.52 |
As you can see, Hefty is consistently more affordable than Glad. All of their similar products are at least half the cost of Glad’s, which makes them a far more cost-effective product than Glad.
Which Brand Offers More Eco-Friendly Options?
Glad and Hefty both offer some eco-friendly options. Each brand has compostable and recycling bags. They also each have trash bags that are made with 20% recyclable materials, which is a great way to reduce waste and improve sustainability efforts.
Each brand has the same options available when it comes to eco-friendly choices. Unusually, there’s very little to set them apart in this category, so Glad and Hefty are equal in their eco-friendly endeavors.
Related Questions:
What Happened To Hefty Gripper Bags?
Hefty’s gripper bags were discontinued in early 2022. Many customers loved these bags and were searching for them in the beginning of this year, but Hefty announced on their Facebook page that this product was discontinued.
Does Glad or Hefty Have Thicker Trash Bags?
Glad and Hefty both have trash bags designed to be thicker than their original products. Glad’s kitchen bags have a thickness of 0.23 mils, while Hefty’s kitchen bags have a thickness of 0.9 mils. Both brands have black trash bags, which are designed to be extra thick to hold heavier garbage and outdoor trash, and each brand’s trash bags have the same thickness of 1.05 mils.
So, if you’re going for thickness in the kitchen, then you should go with Hefty’s bags. However, if you’re looking for the thickest black outdoor bag, then either brand will work effectively.
The Verdict – Which Is Better?
Glad and Hefty have many similar products, however only one can be the best. In this case, it seems Glad has the better trash bags. Their Forceflex Plus bags are incredibly strong and have superior leak proof protection than any of Hefty’s products. If you’re looking for a strong, reliable trash bag, then you should go with Glad’s trash bags.
Jamie is the Founder of My Home Dwelling. He is a homeowner and enjoys sharing his homeowner tips with others. He has real estate experience working as a new home construction Realtor. Jamie has worked on numerous residential construction sites helping with interior and exterior renovations. He loves refinishing furniture, DIY home projects, and sharing his knowledge online.