Dog Poop Bags (2026): Thickness, Dispensers, and What 'Compostable' and 'Biodegradable' Can Legally Mean

For everyday walks, a plain, well-sized bag is enough: Earth Rated's 13 x 9 in refill rolls, made with 65% recycled plastic, or Amazon Basics' 300-bag box with a dispenser and leash clip. If you are paying extra for "biodegradable" or "compostable," read the fine print first. The FTC says an unqualified "degradable" claim is deceptive for items that go to a landfill, which is where most bagged dog waste goes, and California bans "biodegradable" on bags outright. This page compares six bags and a dispenser, then explains what those green words can and cannot legally mean.

How we chose: we did not test these bags; sizes, thickness and materials are the makers' claims from their listings and sites, and every pick was sold by Amazon.com or the brand's own store and in stock on September 28, 2026.

Six bags and a dispenser side by side

Prices are Amazon's, as of the time shown, and subject to change. Details

Earth Rated's thickness figure comes from the Q&A on its 3X Protect page; its recycled-content figures are on that page and its refill roll page. The rest come from the Amazon listings.

Size and thickness: what the numbers mean

Size. A 13 x 9 in flat bag (Earth Rated, Amazon Basics) is wide enough to turn inside out over your hand for a large dog. Doggy Do Good's and BioBag's bags are narrower, 7 in, but Doggy Do Good's sides are gusseted to "expand for extra capacity," and BioBag's have tie handles. For a small dog, any of them will do.

Thickness. Makers state it in microns or mils, and most do not state it at all. One mil is a thousandth of an inch, about 25.4 microns, so BioBag's 0.9 mil is roughly 23 microns, close to Earth Rated's 22-micron 3X Protect and a little thicker than Doggy Do Good's 18. Earth Rated and Amazon Basics do not give a figure for their standard bags. We have not measured any of these, and none of the makers says how they measured.

"Leak-proof," "extra strong" and "odor-blocking" are the makers' words, not test results. Earth Rated backs its 3X Protect bag with what it calls a "100% Odor-Block Guarantee"; nobody else here publishes one.

What the FTC says about "biodegradable" and "degradable"

The Federal Trade Commission's Green Guides, the rules it uses to judge environmental marketing, cover these words directly in 16 CFR 260.8:

• "It is deceptive to misrepresent, directly or by implication, that a product or package is degradable, biodegradable, oxo-degradable, oxo-biodegradable, or photodegradable."
• A marketer making an unqualified degradable claim "should have competent and reliable scientific evidence that the entire item will completely break down and return to nature ... within a reasonably short period of time after customary disposal."
• "It is deceptive to make an unqualified degradable claim for items entering the solid waste stream if the items do not completely decompose within one year after customary disposal. Unqualified degradable claims for items that are customarily disposed in landfills, incinerators, and recycling facilities are deceptive because these locations do not present conditions in which complete decomposition will occur within one year."

The Guides even give a bag as the example. A marketer calls its trash bags "degradable" based on soil burial tests, but "consumers, however, place trash bags into the solid waste stream, which customarily terminates in incineration facilities or landfills where they will not degrade within one year. The claim is, therefore, deceptive."

A dog poop bag usually ends up the same way: in a trash can, then a landfill or incinerator. So an unqualified "biodegradable" on a poop bag deserves the same doubt. A qualified claim, one that says where and how fast the bag breaks down and on what evidence, is a different matter; the Guides say degradable claims "should be qualified clearly and prominently" about the disposal environment and "the rate and extent of degradation."

Doggy Do Good's landfill-friendly bags, on our list, make a qualified claim of that kind: "Plagreen to break down 300x faster in landfills." We cannot check it, and the listing does not say faster than what or over what period, so weigh it as a claim, not a result.

What California law says

California goes further. Public Resources Code section 42357(b)(1) says "a person shall not sell or offer for sale a product in this state that is labeled with the term 'biodegradable,' 'degradable,' or 'decomposable,' or any form of those terms, or in any way implies that the product will break down, fragment, biodegrade, or decompose in a landfill or other environment." The chapter's definitions in section 42356 include "a bag, sack, wrap, or other thin plastic sheet film product" as a product.

"Compostable" is allowed in California only if, at the time of sale, the product meets the applicable ASTM standard, which section 42356 names as ASTM D6400 (plastics composted in municipal or industrial facilities). "Home compostable" is allowed only if the maker holds the TÜV Austria "OK compost HOME" certification for that product. From 2024 the law also requires certification from a state-approved third-party certifier, once one has been approved for that standard for at least a year.

So if a poop bag box says "biodegradable," it cannot legally be sold in California, and outside California the FTC's landfill rule still applies.

What "compostable" means, and when it helps

The FTC's compostable claims section, 16 CFR 260.7, says a marketer calling something compostable "should have competent and reliable scientific evidence that all the materials in the item will break down into, or otherwise become part of, usable compost ... in a safe and timely manner ... in an appropriate composting facility, or in a home compost pile or device." It adds two qualifications that matter for poop bags:

• If the item "cannot be composted safely or in a timely manner in a home compost pile or device," the claim should say so.
• If municipal or institutional composting facilities "are not available to a substantial majority of consumers or communities where the item is sold," the claim should say that too. The Guides' own example of a fix is the line "Appropriate facilities may not exist in your area."

In practice, a compostable bag is only compostable if something composts it. A bag full of dog waste thrown in the trash goes to the same landfill as a plastic one. Check whether your city's compost program accepts pet waste before you pay for compostable bags for that reason.

Certification marks. Two marks show up on these bags: BPI (the Biodegradable Products Institute, which certifies to the industrial standard) and TÜV Austria's "OK compost" (HOME or INDUSTRIAL). We only name a mark when the maker shows it for that product:

• Doggy Do Good sells a separate compostable line on its own site, which it says is "Certified HOME Compostable by OK Compost & TÜV AUSTRIA, and the Biodegradable Products Institute (Canada Only)," 20 microns thick and 38% vegetable-based. The Doggy Do Good bags on our list are its landfill-friendly line, not these.
• BioBag's site lists BPI and TÜV Austria OK compost HOME and INDUSTRIAL among the certifications its products carry, but its dog waste bag page does not say which one applies to that bag. Look for the mark on the box.
• Earth Rated's and Amazon Basics' bags on this list make no compostable claim.

Dispensers and refills

A dispenser on the leash is what makes sure you have a bag. The Earth Rated dispenser clips on with a silicone strap and has a hook for carrying a used bag until you reach a trash can; Amazon Basics includes a plastic dispenser and carabiner in its 300-bag box. Both take standard rolls: Earth Rated's refill rolls fit its dispenser, and Doggy Do Good says its rolls fit "most leash dispensers."

Buy refills in the size your dispenser takes. Doggy Do Good, for one, gives its roll size (2.5 in tall, 1.375 in across) on its own site; if your dispenser is unusual, check those two numbers before you buy a bulk box.

Left out: Frisco poop bags are a Chewy brand; we found no listing for them on Amazon. BioBag's 200-count compostable listing was also sold by Amazon.com, but its listing gives no thickness, so we carded the Premium bag; other BioBag packs were offered by third-party sellers. We found no FDA or CPSC recall of any of these brands on our pet recall page or in the CPSC recall database on September 29, 2026.

For the rest of a new dog's walking kit, see our dog leash guide and the new puppy checklist; for accidents indoors, our enzyme cleaner guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are biodegradable dog poop bags better for the environment?

Not when they go to a landfill. The FTC says unqualified degradable claims are deceptive for items customarily disposed in landfills, because complete decomposition will not happen there within a year.

Can a poop bag be labeled biodegradable in California?

No. Public Resources Code 42357 bars selling a product labeled "biodegradable," "degradable" or "decomposable," and the law's definition of product includes bags.

What is the difference between compostable and biodegradable?

"Compostable" means the whole bag becomes usable compost in a composting facility or home pile, and in California it must meet ASTM D6400 or hold OK compost HOME certification for "home compostable." "Biodegradable" has no such standard for bags and is banned on them in California.

How thick should a dog poop bag be?

Few makers say. Among those that do, Earth Rated's 3X Protect is 22 microns, BioBag's Premium 0.9 mil (about 23 microns) and Doggy Do Good's 18 microns; for a big dog, pick one of the thicker ones or a 13 x 9 in bag.

Can I put dog poop bags in my compost bin?

Only if the bag is certified for home composting and your local compost program or guidance says pet waste is accepted; this page does not cover how to compost pet waste safely. Most bags on this list are plastic and belong in the trash.

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PetProofLab is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. We did not test these bags; sizes, thickness and material claims are the makers' own. This page explains labeling rules in general terms and is not legal advice.