I can't find the link now, but my wife telling me she read something online a few weeks ago reviewing a number of these eco-friendly "plastic" bags. The findings were that they were either so fragile as to border on useless (as you found) or composted so slowly in typical compost pile conditions that they were in practice no better than normal plastic.

I think to say that something that is made from plants is "no better than normal plastic" is a big statement to make. Take into account the short term and long term effects that using petroleum products has on our environment.

While using a trash can liner might make it easier to take out the trash, I survive happily without one. Recyclables and trash are generally dry and I can collect them throughout the week in a trash bin without worrying about the bin getting messy. Compostables (the messy bits) I try to take out every couple of days. This means that the bio-bags generally work for me, though when I do run out of them it isn't much of an issue to take the compost pail out, dump it, and give it a rinse when I get back inside.

Also try re-using your waxed paper milk containers as compost bins. I usually fill it up in a day or two and then I'm using compostable materials I already have in the house to contain my messier compostable items.

How do these bags hold up after a single day of use? What about for use strictly with dry refuse, like shredded paper or dead leaves? How about for moving grass/yard trimmings? Do they come in smaller sizes that might make a bag change every three days more practical?

Also, do you refer to your singular self as we? I just finished reading Ayn Rand's Anthem, so that point is kind of freaking me out, though I don't want to get into a debate about the merits/pitfalls of Objectivism here.

We use these all the time. We buy the small ones and use them to line our counter-top compost pail. They do seem to get damp easily and stay that way, but we haven't had any completely degrade before we got it to the outside bin. Like you found, I don't know how practical they are for regular non-compost trash. For managing kitchen food waste, they're fantastic.

I never read the instructions, but for reference, we probably take the compost out every 2-3 days.

Why would you want to use something to be composted for trash that can not be recycled/composted? If it's going to the trash burner, you could just use the occasional plastic bag or maybe just empty the trash can straight into the big collection container(if you have one of those).

I'm jealous though, we seem to generate a bag of trash a day, as overhere everything is packaged in plastic, and I am not allowed to make a compost by the homeowners association. Taking weeks ti fill up the kitchen trash container seems like a total wonder.....:)

I love these bags! They will start to dissolve if you leave liquid in there too long (a couple of days), just because of how they are built. We take our trash out about once a week, and they hold up fine (again - as long as there's not a lot of liquid in there). They do take awhile to break down in the compost - a couple of months to really be gone, but I feel good knowing I'm not throwing more plastic bags out into the environment.

We used these for about a year and ultimately came to similar conclusions as you. They fall apart too quickly when any moisture is involved, and yet seem to stick around in the compost bin long enough to actually negatively affect the compost. The compostable plastics industry is still in its infancy and the studies are showing that in many instances the products aren't quite ready for "prime time." For example, LA, which has a citywide composting program from what I understand, will not take compostable plastics like the new sun chips bags because in their practice, these items don't actual break down in a reasonable time.
I'm crossing my fingers for the product that stays strong and durable until the magic moment when we want it to degrade very quickly but it does seem like a lot to ask!

We have been using these bags for about a year and have not had any trouble with them. When you say that they are becoming shredded I wonder what you are putting in your garbage? For us (two people) they last a week or often two. We usually do not put anything wet in ours, however, because most of the wet waste ends up getting composted. I think that I will cut one up and put it in my compost to see how long it will take to break down. Right now I have plenty of the new sunships bags and the compostable veggie trays from Trader Joe's. They are taking forever, even though I have cut them up into small squares.