# Dog Poop Bags (2026): Thickness, Dispensers, and What 'Compostable' and 'Biodegradable' Can Legally Mean > Six dog poop bags and a dispenser compared by size and stated thickness, plus what the FTC Green Guides and California law say about compostable and biodegradable claims. - Source: https://petprooflab.com/potty-cleaning/dog-poop-bags - Publisher: PetProofLab (https://petprooflab.com) - Published: 2026-09-28 - Category: potty-cleaning - Tags: dog poop bags, dog waste bags, compostable poop bags, biodegradable, poop bag dispenser, Earth Rated, BioBag, Doggy Do Good - Method: picks chosen from Amazon listings and brand specs; not hands-on tested; current Amazon prices are on the page; content checked 2026-09-28. - Quick answer: For everyday walks, buy Earth Rated's refill rolls (13 x 9 in, made with 65% recycled plastic, sold by Earth Rated) or Amazon Basics' 300-bag box, which comes with a dispenser and leash clip. For the thickest bag with a stated figure, Earth Rated's 3X Protect is 22 microns. Treat 'biodegradable' with suspicion: the FTC says an unqualified degradable claim is deceptive for anything that ends up in a landfill, where poop bags usually go, and California bars 'biodegradable' on bags altogether. 'Compostable' means something only with a certification and a compost facility that takes pet waste. ## Key takeaways - Size and thickness vary: Earth Rated and Amazon Basics bags are 13 x 9 in; Doggy Do Good and BioBag are narrower, gusseted or with handles, per each listing. - Only some makers state thickness: Earth Rated 3X Protect 22 microns, Doggy Do Good 18 microns, BioBag 0.9 mil (about 23 microns). - FTC Green Guides: an unqualified 'degradable' claim is deceptive for items customarily disposed in landfills, because landfills do not let them decompose within a year. - California Public Resources Code 42357 bars selling a product labeled 'biodegradable,' 'degradable' or 'decomposable,' and the law's definition of product covers bags. - A 'compostable' claim needs evidence the bag becomes usable compost; the FTC says to qualify it if composting facilities are not available to most buyers. ## Products (chosen from listings, not tested) 1. **Earth Rated Dog Poop Bags, Refill Rolls, 270 Bags, Unscented** (details: https://petprooflab.com/potty-cleaning/dog-poop-bags#product-B00LAI9OM6) — The everyday refill roll, from a brand that says what its plastic is made of. - Pros: 13 x 9 in bags, perforated to tear off one at a time, per the listing; Made with 65% certified post-consumer recycled plastic, per Earth Rated; A '3 Bags Left' sticker near the end of each roll; sold by Earth Rated - Cons: Plastic; the listing does not state a thickness 2. **Earth Rated 3X Protect Odor-Blocking Poop Bags, 240 Bags** (details: https://petprooflab.com/potty-cleaning/dog-poop-bags#product-B0FSG8TBWG) — Buy it for a big dog or a long walk before the next trash can. - Pros: 22 microns thick, per Earth Rated's own Q&A: the thickest stated figure here; Opaque 'blackout' bag with odor-blocking layers, per the listing; 9 x 13 in, unscented, 30% post-consumer recycled plastic; sold by Earth Rated - Cons: Less recycled content than Earth Rated's standard bags (30% vs 65%) 3. **Earth Rated Poop Bag Dispenser with 15 Bags** (details: https://petprooflab.com/potty-cleaning/dog-poop-bags#product-B08VN2W5NC) — A leash dispenser with a place to hang the full bag, which most do not have. - Pros: Click-and-lock closure and a silicone strap that attaches to any leash, per Earth Rated; A hook for hanging a used bag so your hands stay free; Includes a starter roll of 13 x 9 in unscented bags; sold by Earth Rated - Cons: Holds one roll; you will want refills from the start 4. **Amazon Basics Dog Poop Bags with Dispenser and Leash Clip, 300 Bags** (details: https://petprooflab.com/potty-cleaning/dog-poop-bags#product-B00NABTC8M) — The simple starter box: bags, dispenser and clip in one order. - Pros: 300 unscented bags: 20 rolls of 15, per the listing; 13 x 9 in; plastic dispenser and carabiner leash clip included; Sold by Amazon.com - Cons: Thickness and plastic content are not stated 5. **BioBag Premium Pet Waste Bags, 150 Bags** (details: https://petprooflab.com/potty-cleaning/dog-poop-bags#product-B01MQTTXJ3) — A plant-based handle bag; check the box for a certification mark before you compost anything. - Pros: 0.9 mil thick, 7 x 13.5 in, with tie handles, per the listing; Made from plant starches, vegetable oils and polymers instead of polyethylene, per the listing; Sold by Amazon.com - Cons: BioBag's product page does not show which compost certification this bag holds; the listing says it suits small to medium dogs 6. **Doggy Do Good Landfill-Friendly Poop Bags, 360 Bags** (details: https://petprooflab.com/potty-cleaning/dog-poop-bags#product-B082KC8RVY) — A thick, gusseted everyday bag; judge the landfill claim for yourself. - Pros: 18 microns thick, per the listing; 7 x 13.4 in with expanding gusseted sides; fits most leash dispensers; 50% recycled and 15% bio-based content, per Doggy Do Good; sold by Doggy Do Good - Cons: The listing claims the bags 'break down 300x faster in landfills'; that is the maker's claim and we cannot check it (see the FTC section below) 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 | Bag | Size (per listing) | Thickness (per maker) | Material claim | Count | Sold by | Amazon price | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | [Earth Rated refill rolls](https://petprooflab.com/potty-cleaning/dog-poop-bags#product-B00LAI9OM6) | 13 x 9 in | Not stated | 65% post-consumer recycled plastic | 270 | Earth Rated | see the current Amazon price on the page | | [Earth Rated 3X Protect](https://petprooflab.com/potty-cleaning/dog-poop-bags#product-B0FSG8TBWG) | 9 x 13 in | 22 microns | 30% post-consumer recycled plastic | 240 | Earth Rated | see the current Amazon price on the page | | [Earth Rated dispenser](https://petprooflab.com/potty-cleaning/dog-poop-bags#product-B08VN2W5NC) | 13 x 9 in bags | Not stated | Dispenser plus 15 bags | 15 | Earth Rated | see the current Amazon price on the page | | [Amazon Basics with dispenser](https://petprooflab.com/potty-cleaning/dog-poop-bags#product-B00NABTC8M) | 13 x 9 in | Not stated | Plastic | 300 | Amazon.com | see the current Amazon price on the page | | [BioBag Premium](https://petprooflab.com/potty-cleaning/dog-poop-bags#product-B01MQTTXJ3) | 7 x 13.5 in, handles | 0.9 mil (about 23 microns) | Plant starches, vegetable oils, polymers | 150 | Amazon.com | see the current Amazon price on the page | | [Doggy Do Good Landfill-Friendly](https://petprooflab.com/potty-cleaning/dog-poop-bags#product-B082KC8RVY) | 7 x 13.4 in, gusseted | 18 microns | 50% recycled, 15% bio-based | 360 | Doggy Do Good | see the current Amazon price on the page | Earth Rated's thickness figure comes from the Q&A on its [3X Protect page](https://www.earthrated.com/products/odor-blocking-dog-poop-bags-refill-rolls-with-3x-protect); its recycled-content figures are on that page and its [refill roll page](https://www.earthrated.com/products/bag-refills). 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](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-B/part-260/section-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](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=PRC§ionNum=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](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=PRC§ionNum=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](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-B/part-260/section-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](https://www.doggydogood.com/products/compostable-pet-waste-bags-360-bags), 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](https://www.biobagworld.com/us_en) lists BPI and TÜV Austria OK compost HOME and INDUSTRIAL among the certifications its products carry, but its [dog waste bag page](https://www.biobagworld.com/us-en/products/standard-dog-waste-bags-50ct) 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](https://petprooflab.com/recalls) or in the [CPSC recall database](https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls) on September 29, 2026. For the rest of a new dog's walking kit, see our [dog leash guide](https://petprooflab.com/walks-travel/dog-leashes) and the [new puppy checklist](https://petprooflab.com/life-stages/new-puppy-checklist); for accidents indoors, our [enzyme cleaner guide](https://petprooflab.com/potty-cleaning/enzyme-cleaners-pet-stains-odors). ## 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. --- *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.* ## Sources - earthrated.com: [3X Protect page](https://www.earthrated.com/products/odor-blocking-dog-poop-bags-refill-rolls-with-3x-protect) - earthrated.com: [Bag refills](https://www.earthrated.com/products/bag-refills) - ecfr.gov: [16 CFR 260.8](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-B/part-260/section-260.8) - leginfo.legislature.ca.gov: [Public Resources Code section 42357](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=PRC§ionNum=42357) - leginfo.legislature.ca.gov: [Codes display Section.xhtml](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=PRC§ionNum=42356) - ecfr.gov: [Compostable claims section, 16 CFR 260.7](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-B/part-260/section-260.7) - doggydogood.com: [Own site](https://www.doggydogood.com/products/compostable-pet-waste-bags-360-bags) - biobagworld.com: [Site](https://www.biobagworld.com/us_en) - biobagworld.com: [Dog waste bag page](https://www.biobagworld.com/us-en/products/standard-dog-waste-bags-50ct) - U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission: [CPSC recall database](https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls) --- Last updated: 2026-09-28 Canonical URL: https://petprooflab.com/potty-cleaning/dog-poop-bags How to cite: "Dog Poop Bags (2026): Thickness, Dispensers, and What 'Compostable' and 'Biodegradable' Can Legally Mean", PetProofLab, https://petprooflab.com/potty-cleaning/dog-poop-bags (checked 2026-09-28). Disclosure: as an Amazon Associate PetProofLab earns from qualifying purchases. Safety information summarizes public guidance and is not medical advice.