Trash Bag Holder and Lid

assembled trash bag holder with bag installed for test fitting.
PURE FUNCTION – ZERO AESTHETICS IN THIS DESIGN

Tools (trash bag holder)

  • Ratcheting tubing cutter (if you don’t have a tubing cutter, you can use a hack saw)
  • Tin snips *optional for bag clips*

Materials (trash bag holder)

  • 10 foot length of 1″ PVC schedule 40
  • 8 1″ PVC elbows
  • 4 1″ PVC tees
  • 6″ of 1.25″ PVC (I had to buy a 2″ repair piece) *optional for bag clips*
  • Plastic spray paint *optional*
  • PVC primer and solvent *optional*

Cut List

  • 2 @ 19″ (uprights)
  • 2 @ 12.5″ (bottom hoop)
  • 4 @ 5.5″ (bottom hoop)
  • 2 @ 9″ (top hoop)
  • 4 @ 4″ (top hoop)
I had 1.5″ of wasted extra PVC. – You could make the bottom square larger to have zero waste. I would advise against making the legs taller though.

Assembly

Assembly is pretty obvious. Build two rectangular hoops, each with a tee on two opposite sides. Put each hoop on a flat surface with the tee pointing roughly up in order to get your elbows flat. Because the top hoop is smaller than the bottom, the tee fittings will need to be at a slight angle. My goal was to have the top hoop fit inside the bottom hoop so when packed, it would only take the height of a single piece of PVC. The angle of the tee fittings messed this up for me though. That being said, since I didn’t glue them together, packing becomes even easier.

Once your hoops are flat, insert the legs into the bottom tee fittings. Adjust the angle of the legs until you can put the top hoop onto the legs. Take a step back and check the top hoop for level.

Cut pieces of PVC pipe and fittings ready for assembly
All the cut pieces ready for assembly

The clips are a bit tricky. Cut a 1 1/2 long piece of the 1 1/4 pipe. Using tin snips or another cutting tool you like, cut about 1/3 of the circumference of the piece out. The goal is to have a clip that you can spread open to clamp the trash bag to the PVC. If you don’t cut out enough of the pipe, you won’t be able to open it over the 1″ pipe. If you cut too much out, it won’t be an effective clamp.

I was originally planning to glue the hoops together and just fit the legs in each time I set this up. Once I assembled it, I realized that the friction in the fittings was enough to hold it together, so I used no primer / solvent. If you decide to glue yours, use a marker to draw a line across the joint from each fitting to the pipe that goes into it. The PVC solvent cures pretty quickly, without those guide lines, you will end up with twisted hoops that will never lay flat. That being said, if you do glue your hoops (especially the bottom one) you can add sand or water to the base for ballast. This might come in handy if you’re in a windy environment.

If you paint it, make sure you use a paint that is safe for plastic. If the paint is not compatible with plastic, it either won’t stick to the plastic & will peel off in sheets (best case) or will weaken & melt the PVC. I haven’t decided yet if this one is going to be painted.

Lid – I cut down a plywood scrap for a lid. Attached some small plywood blocks to the bottom to act as cleats to keep the lid centered over the top hoop. I screwed a cabinet door handle to the top to make it easier to open & close the lid. Hopefully, this lid will keep smells & insects down to a minimum.

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