At GLAD, sustainability has a clear and simple mission: do more to waste less. As a trusted provider of innovative waste solutions, GLAD has spent decades helping people manage the unpleasant realities of waste while working to reduce the environmental footprint of the products they use to do it.
That mission is built on a firm belief that less plastic, less pollution and less packaging waste are not aspirations. They are the standard GLAD holds itself to every day.
The Problem with Making New Plastic
The largest source of emissions in trash bag manufacturing comes from the production of new, virgin plastic. Once GLAD identified that, the path forward became clear: find existing plastic waste that could be recycled and used instead.
The challenge was finding the right kind. Not all recycled plastic performs equally. To maintain the strength properties that GLAD bags are known for, a specific type of plastic is required, one that preserves the stretch and durability consumers expect. The search for a reliable, high-quality source led GLAD directly to The Home Depot.
A Partnership Built Around Plastic Shipping Waste
It turns out that the plastic shipping waste generated by The Home Depot’s warehouse operations is an ideal fit for GLAD’s manufacturing needs. It is a clean source of the exact type of plastic required to maintain bag strength and stretch, two qualities that are non-negotiable in a trash bag.
The process works like this: The Home Depot collects plastic shipping waste from its warehouses and provides it to GLAD. GLAD then sorts, cleans and converts that material into post-consumer recycled plastic (PCR). That PCR, combined with other recycled materials, is used to manufacture trash bags that contain 10% recycled plastic without any sacrifice in performance.
The result is a product that closes a real loop. Plastic waste generated by Home Depot operations leaves as shipping material and comes back as a finished product on Home Depot shelves.
Strength That Does Not Compromise
Choosing a more sustainable trash bag should not mean settling for a weaker one. GLAD’s bags made with recycled plastic feature the same ForceFlex patented technology that consumers have come to rely on, delivering the stretchable strength expected from the brand.
Packaging That Tells the Story
GLAD and The Home Depot designed the product packaging together, with a shared goal of educating consumers about the partnership and what it represents. When shoppers pick up these bags at The Home Depot, the packaging explains where the recycled plastic came from and why that matters. Transparency is part of the product.
A Win for Everyone
This collaboration works because it creates value at every level. GLAD gains access to a reliable, high-quality source of recycled plastic. The Home Depot finds a responsible outlet for plastic waste generated by its own operations. And consumers get a trusted product that makes it easier to participate in a circular economy without changing their habits or compromising on performance.
A Shared Commitment
GLAD’s partnership with The Home Depot is a practical example of what sustainability looks like when it moves beyond intentions and into action. By working together to keep plastic out of landfills and back into useful products, both companies are demonstrating that doing more to waste less is not just a mission statement. It is something that can be built, manufactured and placed on a shelf.
To learn more about GLAD’s sustainable efforts, please visit their website.
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