Here's my new habit: Whenever I take the plastic wrap off a roll of paper towels or some other package, it goes straight into my Obaggo, a personal trash compactor about the size of a coffee maker.

"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." Tossing out trash before the bag is completely full is a waste. It may seem like you can’t stuff anything ...

Using plastic bags is an ecological disaster; it takes about 1,000 years for one to degrade in a landfill (and even then, it leaves behind microplastics that can add toxins to soil or water).

Netherlands-based Van Beek has introduced a bag compactor that is designed to help production companies handle the empty bags they generate as cheaply and efficiently as possible, the company says.

Thursday Bram is a freelance journalist of over five years experience. She has worked in real estate and property management, learning the hard way the difference between the appliances that people ...