To the dustbin it goes!

In Hungary, the bin bag market surpasses the value of HUF 4 billion. According to Csaba Horváth, the managing director of Hok-Plastik, because of the influence of fossil fuel price trends the market is characterised by extreme changes in price. In the fierce competition the only way to survive is by getting hold of high-volume commissions, which the domestic market is unable to guarantee. Selective waste collection goes back a long way in the European Union, so there is great demand for bin bags in the EU. This is a great opportunity for the Mórahalom-based company; they installed high-capacity production lines and multiplied their capacities. Hok-Plastik is capable of manufacturing 20 million products per week. Since demand for closable bags is on the increase, from November they will double their production capacity to manufacture 10 million bin bags with draw tapes per month.

In 2009 Synovate conducted a survey for Sarantis Hungary Kft. and found that most of the time housework is still done by women and it is also them who buy the related products. Still, bin bags are also used and bought by men. According to the survey, households buy 60 percent of bin bags monthly and 28 percent every 2-3 months. Consumers say bin bags need to be practical and comfortable, and they do not really trust the cheapest products. Promotions and a good price/value ratio are of key importance in this category, which is of low consumer interest. The examination of shopping habits revealed that POS materials’ significance among sources of information was 40 percent. Anikó Radosiczky, marketing manager of Sarantis Hungary Kft. told us that the survey paid highlighted attention to bin bags. Most consumers are annoyed by bin bags which are easily torn when taken out of the dustbin.

Another problem is that there are no standard sizes, so it is difficult to find the perfectly fitting bin bag on the shelves of stores. People want durable bags made from thick material – they like to touch the product before buying so they prefer packaging that makes this possible. Shoppers do not really believe in the usefulness of scented bin bags. They are convinced that side-perforated bags are stronger. Sarantis uses research results in the distribution of FOX, HEWA and FINO product families. Hok-Plastic believes that Hungarian products will only sell well in Europe if manufacturers keep widening their product range, investing in machinery and monitoring market demand – not forgetting about quality control along the way. From the second half of 2010 the new design of their products reflects their environmentally conscious approach. They completely refurbished the design of all their products and introduced offering cases too. Hok-Plastic offers basic bin bags, 6 scented versions, draw tape bin bags in 4sizes and 3 colours, and draw tape waste container bags in black and blue colours.