Plastic rubbish bag
Bolsa de basura de plástico
- Date
- 1950 · confidence medium
- Place
- Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
- Credited to
- Harry Wasylyk and Larry Hansen
- Field
- Tools
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What it is
A strong, waterproof polyethylene bag for rubbish, devised by Harry Wasylyk and Larry Hansen in Canada and sold first to hospitals and then to households. It replaced the unlined metal bin.
The invention is usually dated to 1950 and sold in volume from 1960 with Union Carbide; the date and details come from company accounts.
What it led to
- hygienic rubbish collection at home and in the street
- coloured and biodegradable rubbish bags
- the problem of plastic waste