Why use an Onion Bag instead of a regular trash bag?

When kayaking or canoeing, there’s always a chance you’ll tip over and take a swim. With an Onion Bag, your litter stays secure in a tough, brightly colored mesh bag—easy to spot and retrieve if it goes overboard.

Where did the idea come from?

It started on the Buffalo River in Arkansas, which flows through a National Forest. There, plastic bags and Styrofoam are prohibited. At the start of your trip, you’re issued an Onion Bag to collect trash along the way. At the end, you dispose of your trash properly and return the bag for reuse.

The concept spread to the Sturgeon River in Michigan, where boxes of Onion Bags were placed at river access points. Paddlers could simply grab a bag, use it, and return it after their trip. Simple and effective.

In Ohio, Paddle for Heroes, a non-profit veterans organization, adopted the idea along the Kokosing River in Knox County. It worked so well that boxes were installed downstream, all the way to the Ohio River. Today, over 40 boxes help prevent litter throughout the Muskingum River Watershed.

The Onion Bag Litter Prevention Project

This success inspired The Onion Bag Litter Prevention Project—a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to expanding this initiative statewide. Our goal is to see Onion Bag boxes at every river access point in Ohio.

We fund this project through private donations and grants from both private and government sources.

Want to help keep Ohio’s waterways clean?

Donate below and join our mission.