Our New Favorite Litter Disposal System Is The Easiest To Use We've Ever Tested (2024)

No one likes to deal with cat poop, but if you're not ready to shell out for an automatic litter box you can still make the job easier with a container designed for litter scooping—typically known as a litter disposal system—that will work with any litter box. We tested multiple litter disposal models to find the best one to keep next to your litter box.

The Litter Genie Plus was our favorite way to manage cat litter for years, but the newer Litter Genie Easy Roll improves on it in almost every way. Rather than a long cylinder, where you knot the top and bottom to seal in cat waste, the Easy Roll uses individually perforated bags, which are drawn up from the bottom of the unit. Rather than tying off the bottom of each bag, the bottom of an Easy Roll bag is already sealed off. The open top of each bag fits over four notches on the inside of the Litter Genie lid, then when it's full you lift it up, tear the full bag off the roll, and tie off the top for disposal. It couldn't get any easier.

When we first learned about the Litter Genie Easy Roll, we were worried about the perforations between bags—will we end up tearing the bag and spilling poop everywhere when ripping it off of the roll? But once we got our hands on the Easy Roll, we quickly saw that our concerns were unfounded. Each bag is separated from the next by nearly an inch of plastic, so that the bottom of one bag is not at risk from the perforations between it and the next bag. We've been using the Easy Roll for months now, and no longer worry about rips during bag changes.

It's hard to make a direct comparison, since the two types of bag are so different, but Litter Genie advertises its 24-bag Easy Roll refill cartridge as suitable for 6 months of scooping, or about a bag per week. This matches well with our experience. The standard Litter Genie refills cost slightly more than their Easy Roll equivalent, yet are only meant to last for two months of scooping. If accurate, the Litter Genie Easy Roll should be more cost-efficient over time.

There are a few downsides to the Easy Roll over its predecessor. For one, the individual Easy Roll bags tend to be a little smaller than the size-as-you-go waste bags that come out of a standard Litter Genie. Our tester tended to overstuff standard Litter Genie bags, which isn't nearly as possible to do with the Easy Roll version. This means you'll have to take out the stored waste more often, though this isn't always a bad thing—bags of cat poop can get very heavy. While we don't think the Easy Roll will cost more to maintain than its predecessor, the original Litter Genie has been around long enough that lots of cheaper generic bag refills are available. It's not uncommon to find a multipack refill on sale that could refill your Litter Genie for a year. With its fresher, more proprietary design, this is less likely with the Easy Roll.

We also found that the current waste bag can sometimes pull loose from one or more of the tabs that hold the bag open at the top of the litter Genie. This typically only happens when a bag is nearly full, and isn't much of a hindrance. The bag never became completely loose or fell back into the receptacle.

Despite these minor downsides, it became clear over the course of testing that the Litter Genie Easy Roll is the best disposal system we've encountered. It's got a sleek design, with big friendly buttons, and the whole package is a little more pleasant to use than the original Litter Genie. We like the less flimsy plastic better and the improved trap door. Every element of the Easy Roll is an improvement on the Litter Genie Plus. We wouldn't mind some more color choices though!

Available with 24-bags, or in a bundle with 48-bags

How We Picked

Testing: We tested four litter disposal systems under real-word conditions, sending them out to experienced volunteer testers for an initial multi-week trial. Testers took detailed notes, following a methodology written by our research and testing team. We've followed up with testers ever since, and now have insights after years of use.

Our most valuable data came from a testing household that has tried out dozens of litter scoops, litter boxes, waste bags, and other methods of dealing with cat litter. The two cats living there sure do like to pee and poop a lot. This tester had a Litter Genie Plus they used for years, but swapped it out for a Litter Genie Easy Roll and came away impressed with its myriad improvements.

More We Recommend

The Best Alternative: A good waste disposal system needs to be able to hold several days of litter scooping, hide scents, and be easy to clean. The Litter Genie has a useful capacity, is excellent at managing scents, and is simple to use—once you get used to its unique system.

To use the Litter Genie, just open the lid, dump waste in the funnel opening on top, and then pull the handle on the front to open the gate into the bagged receptacle below. The gate is spring loaded, and will snap shut again when you let go, pinching the bag closed against the back wall of the Litter Genie.

This system isn’t airtight, but it’s an effective enough seal that we have never noticed bad odors coming from the receptacle. More airtight waste receptacles may allow less odor to vent into the surroundings, but can also accumulate stink, so that a terrible smell awaits you every time you empty it. This puts the Litter Genie in an optimal middle ground—the spring-loaded door closes the bag enough to tamp down odors, but doesn’t create an airtight seal that retains moisture and smells.

Changing the bags is a little more of an involved process, though very easy once you’re used to it. Litter Genie bags are built like a long tube. You pull about a foot or so of bag out of the refill (a standard refill contains 14 feet of bag), then use a simple overhand knot to tie it off at the bottom, forming your waste bag. Push the refill into the top, pull the waste bag down through the spring-loaded gate, and you’re ready to scoop. When the receptacle is full, you crack it open, pull a little more bag down to make sure there’s enough slack to tie it off at the top, then cut the tube with a little guarded blade (similar to a utility knife blade). Tie the top and take it all away.

This may all sound a little complicated—it seems less than ideal to have both ends of a giant bag full of poop reliant on knots, however simple. We had the same reservations. But using the Litter Genie quickly becomes second nature, and we never once had a knot slip. The Litter Genie has been remarkably reliable, even after more than a year of use.

The device does require its own set of bags, which normally cost $7 to $10 per refill (depending on if you buy them individually or in multi-packs), with each refill lasting about two months. But they are widely available across retailers, so anyone willing to shop around a little can find some great deals. Plus, there are several off-brand refills that are even cheaper, and work just as well in our experience.

Do I need a Litter Genie XL?

We don’t think so, no.

Too Big For Most: The Litter Genie XL has a bigger footprint and is a little more than five inches taller than the Litter Genie Plus. It uses the same refill cartridges, but lets you spool out a larger bagged receptacle, and holds about 50 percent more waste. That’s 50 percent longer before you have to empty it—sounds like a no-brainer, right?

Here’s why it’s not: a full bag of waste in a Litter Genie Plus is already an unwieldy burden, and can weigh as much as ten pounds. The Plus provides a decent maximum for the amount of cat waste we want to handle at any one time. Also, it’s polite to bag cat waste in with an outgoing trash bag, so your garbage collectors don’t have to deal with your cat poop directly. The big bags that come out of our Litter Genie Plus are already enough to put a serious strain on our standard kitchen garbage bags.

For most people, the Litter Genie XL is simply a little too much. However, the Litter Genie XL might be a good pick for a cat rescue or other unusually numerous, multiple cat scenario.

Best With A Foot Pedal: The Litter Champ is very similar to the Litter Genie, but has one clear advantage: a foot pedal for lifting the top lid.

There are numerous other minor design differences between the two. For example, the Litter Champ has a door on the front that swings open, allowing for easier access to the bag for changing (just like the Litter Genie Plus, the Champ has a little blade inside you use to cut the bag and knot off a new receptacle). It also has a carry handle on top, making this a good pick if you have to move your litter operation around between multiple litter boxes. The Litter Champ is a little larger as well. Even the refills are a little longer—21 vs. 14 feet.

However, we still prefer the Litter Genie for two primary reasons. The first is how you scoop litter into each device. The Genie uses a spring-loaded trap door that you open manually from the outside, whereas the Litter Champ uses a weighted door that you press down on with your litter scoop. At first glance this is more convenient, since you don’t have to take a separate action to dump litter off your scoop and into the receptacle. Combined with the foot pedal, this makes the Litter Champ a more hands-free litter scooping process. However, in our experience it takes more effort, since you have to press down the door with the scoop, then shake the cat poop off into the bag. Plus, since you’re pressing the door downward into the bag, it can get messy and difficult once that bag is reasonably full and you’re pushing against a big pile of poop.

This system also requires you to have the top lid open to get your scooped poop into the bag, whereas with the Litter Genie you can drop your scooped poop on top of the sealed compartment, then close the lid, then pull out the trap door, allowing the litter to fall into the bag without you ever having to interact with the waste storage compartment. Plus, the Litter Genie’s trap door is shielded behind the bag liner, unlike the Litter Champ, which has a trap door that touches scooped waste directly.

It’s a subtle difference, and the Litter Champ is better on several design points (we prefer how its waste compartment opens for bag changes, for example), but we found the Litter Genie to be easier to use overall. Plus, while both the Champ and the Genie are available from major retailers, the Litter Genie is more ubiquitous, making it easier to find deals on bag refills.

Litter Champ vs. Litter Genie Plus

Use With Any Bag: The Petfusion Portable Cat Litter Disposal lets you use bags of your choice, clipping each bag on to an inner basket that then nests inside a utilitarian receptacle with a convenient carry handle. While not a complete “litter disposal system” like our favorite, the Litter Genie Plus, the Petfusion receptacle is an excellent alternative to keeping a small trash can next to your litter box.

The main downside is that the receptacle is fully opened when scooping—exposing you to stinky cat litter. The lid has a silicone gasket, which creates a tight seal, made even tighter when you lift up the carry handle, which is designed to lock the top down. This is great for tamping down smells when the Petfusion litter disposal is not in use. However, its virtually airtight seal locks in smells and moisture, making the stink that much worse every time you open it. The charcoal deodorizer built into the lid is a nice touch, but not a perfect solution.

However, the Petfusion may well work better for people who aren’t interested in futzing with proprietary bags, or tying off bags of cat waste into neatly knotted packages. If you are looking for a container best suited for emptying directly into an outdoor garbage can or dumpster then this is a convenient option. It also works well if you have to carry around a waste receptacle to multiple litter boxes.

Available with our without an attached bag dispenser

Why Trust The Spruce Pets?

This article was written by Steven Asarch, a freelance writer for The Spruce Pets. He has firsthand experience working with different feline products and taking care of two rambunctious felines.His cats are exceptional testers, who have tried out everything from automatic litter boxes to litter box liners. Steven has also written for The Spruce Pets about calming aids for cats, hairball remedies, robot vacuums for pet hair, pill pockets, and wand toys.

For a more expert perspective on how to best handle cat litter, he spoke to Co-Founders of Cat Behavior Alliance Rita Reimers and Linda Hall for this article.