Litter Grabbers Review: Ten Tools to Choose From
Updated November 2024
My initial collection of litter grabbers, as of July 2023
Updated collection of tools, as of August 2024
In 2021, I started taking my dissatisfaction with litter in nature and public areas seriously and decided to do something about it. I bought a couple of litter grabbers and began using them in my neighborhood to pick up trash. In exploring and nurturing my litter cleanup hobby, over time I accumulated a few more litter pickers, perhaps in my quest to find the best trash stick for the job!
Here is a quick review of the best litter grabbers I have used so far (in order from top to bottom in picture above), including individual weight, measured using my Dr. meter ES-PS01 portable scale.
Surprising benefit of the ArcMate Easy Reacher Pro: handle bar for a large, litter-filled bag (picture taken on Burlington Island, NJ)
Measured weight: 0.65 lbs.
This EZ reacher has rubber ends, suction cups, and is probably my favorite litter picker, as it grabs almost anything off the ground. I thank the folks at Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful for sending me my first one.
The reacher has a wide claw opening, enabling the pickup of larger items, like big cans or plastic containers. It can also be folded in half, making it easy to mail, if you want to throw it in a heavy-duty envelope and ship it to a friend or simply store it in a smaller area.
The soft, rubber suction cups make it easy to scrape stuff off the ground or pick up items that require a bit more precision, like cigarette butts from grassy areas.
Another relatively unexpected benefit is that the aluminum stick is fairly sturdy, and the black, thick plastic joint in the middle makes the overall combination an effective tool for carrying out a heavy bag filled with collected trash. Just insert it in the side handles, and use it to more easily lift the entire foldable drum.
They come in 32” and 40” size and are available on Amazon.com.
A potential downside is that it does not seem that great for kids, since the tension action in the handle is a bit too strong, requiring more grip power. However, overall, this a very good, fairly light, sturdy, reliable tool.
2. Waterhaul Recycled Ocean Plastic Folding Litter Picker
Measured weight: 0.34 lbs.
This folding litter picker has the lightest stick and is a cool concept as it is made from 100% recycled fishing nets! It thus provides a good feeling to support this manufacturer: an organization that collects abandoned fishing nets and recycles them into plastic products.
I have the Compact size, of 26”, and Waterhaul also manufactures a larger one, of 32”, called Full Length. This picker is foldable, and light. Overall, it feels a bit too small, and flimsy. Compared to the other ones that feel much sturdier, this one seems like a good fit for kids. Also, it has fairly narrow jaw opening, so it is not great for picking up large objects.
All that said, I did gain a new appreciation for this litter grabber when I started to travel with it and pick up litter during my business trips. It is very light, can easily fit a laptop bag, and it is fairly easy to clean. I went through TSA airport security checks with no problem. The pictures above were taken at Pittsburgh International Airport in 2023: I completed a 30 minute cleanup of mostly cigarette butts there, on an early summer morning before my flight out.
Waterhaul has a range of other products as well, such as knives, sunglasses, and optical eyewear and theirs is a great story. They were founded in 2018 by marine scientist Harry Dennis, who saw an opportunity in turning waste and ghost fishing gear into new, marketable tools and products.
3. RMS Featherweight 26’’
Measured weight: 0.47 lbs.
This trash grabber is the reacher version. The tool is small, but mighty and comes with a magnetic tip at the end, which is great for picking up small metal objects, like bottle caps. Also, another cool feature is the little yellow plastic holder right on the pole, where you can attach a flashlight - great for late afternoon and evening fall/ winter cleanups in the Northern Hemisphere when it gets dark early.
Here are pictures from this litter grabber in action:
Despite its relatively small size, this is one of my favorite tools. It feels very sturdy, the grab action/ tension is precise, and the magnet + flashlight add-on make it more versatile.
You get a good feeling knowing that it is not a basic grabber, but more like a Swiss army knife, with a couple of added features.
4. Unger Professional 36” Nifty Grabber Reacher
Measured weight: 0.70 lbs.
This grabber has the longest stick in my collection. The pole has a nice, shiny finish and the handle good spring action. It’s my newest one, bought on Amazon in summer of 2023.
The Unger grabber is popular and one of the litter picker community favorites. It has fast action in the claw, and wide opening, good and very precise grip by the rubbery tips. Also I really like the 36” length, and thus its reach potential. You definitely do not to bend over to use this tool, and I imagine would be great to use by taller people (which I am not).
The metal handle feels a bit loose and slippery, but overall very good, and sturdy.
5. Betterhouseware Reach-It 92/C
Measured weight: 0.39 lbs.
I picked up this grabber from a kitchen store (no pun intended!), while visiting the beautiful Peddler’s Village in Bucks County, PA. It was sold more as a home organizing and convenience tool, as part of a wholesale package.
It is sturdy, has a metal string that precisely directs the action and an ergonomic handle. It is surprisingly light, fairly long at 36 inches, and the claw has plastic edged tips. It also has a nice clink-clink sound due to the fast action and exposed metal claw mechanism.
Although the handle is slightly thinner than I would like it, making the grip feel more like holding a stick, overall it feels sturdy and efficient. Specifically, it does not lead to the same forearm muscle fatigue from regularly squeezing it and releasing it, like some of the other reachers.
Overall, this is a solid garbage grabber stick.
6. EJG 36” Aluminum Pickup Tongs
The EJG tongs, together with their case. Just add your address label!
Measured weight: 0.81 lbs.
A sturdy tool and surprisingly the heaviest of all, this grabber gives the feeling of a great product from the very beginning, as unlike the others, it arrives with its own nice carrying case or storage bag.
Its design is remarkably simple, and the tool itself is very light as it is made of aluminum.
Since there is no real mechanism to activate the motion of the grabbing ends, other than squeezing the handle, the action is extremely fast and precise.
The grabbing ends of the tool are not just edgy, but outright sharp, and can easily scrape off pretty much anything off the ground. The oblique cut at the end of a straight metal tube reminds me of that used in sharp needles.
The orange cushioned handles are soft, comfortable, and of a nice, bright orange color.
At 36” it is the longest tool in the collection, similar to the Unger and Betterhouseware ones above, and despite its simplistic appearance, a great tool overall.
Here’s the EJG in action:
One unexpected benefit of the EJG grabber is its versatility: it is sturdy, and once the handle bars are held tight together, the grabber becomes a pretty solid and long double bar or pole. Of all the grabbers to have with me, if I ever went to pick up litter in an unsafe area, I would want to have this one as it can easily be used as a stick for self defense: its length and similar to that of a boken (wooden sword) used in traditional Japanese martial arts.
7. RMS 32” and 8. RMS 19” Grabber Reacher with Rotating Jaw
Measured weight: 0.48 lbs (32” version) and 0.42 lbs (19” version)
These two grabbers come as part of a two-pack, and I purchased them on Amazon in September 2023. They are not litter grabbers per se, but meant as mobility aid and reaching assist tools, made by Royal Medical Solutions, Inc. The mechanism, claw system, handle, and other parts are exactly the same between the two grabbers, except for the bar length and tensioned cable inside.
Their distinguishing features are precision, and a high quality feel. The plastic, the metal, the rubberized claw tips, all covey a feeling that this is a well-made device. It makes sense, since it is meant by a medical devices company. I can’t see the rotating jaw (which snaps shut in one of two different positions, at a 90 degree angle) be of any benefit for litter picking, although it is nice to have.
Of the two, the smaller one feels like a great tool for kids, because of its shorter length of only 19”. In fact, the combination of the longer + shorter grabber makes this a wonderful parent-child set of tools and activity!
9. EZPIK EZ-G40R Folding Grabber Reacher 40”
Measured weight: 0.70 lbs.
The longest reacher in my collection, this tool is not only an impressive 40” long, but foldable in three. It therefore packs well, taking up little space: less than 14”.
Its length makes it suitable for cleanups in difficult areas, such as bushy terrain, or deeper ravines where litter and trash items may be harder to reach.
Also, the picker is more suitable for taller individuals and indeed, the company’s recommendations on the Amazon product page indicate a 40" length for folks 5’9” and up.
This trash grabber is surprisingly sturdy for its length, and the fact it has two connection points that make up the stick holding the claws. The mechanism is precise, tension in the grip adequate, and the claws can rotate 90 degrees. One potential downside, or feature to pay attention to, is that the plastic holders where the stick folds and locks in place can be a little scratchy due to their sharp edges.
10. Ettore Trash Picker
Measured weight: 0.65 lbs.
This is an interesting tool, and for many, a beginner-level trash picker due to its simplicity and price. It has a straightforward design, does not involve any mechanical parts, and at approx. $10.54 (as of November 2024 on Amazon.com), it is likely the most affordable tool out there.
To operate this tool, all you have to do is poke the desired item, such as paper or presumably a plastic bottle, and voila: you have picked it up! The problem occurs, of course, when you have to clean up a street, and litter rests on a hard surface. Constantly poking at objects on asphalt or concrete has low odds of success, and in time damages the very needle that is supposed to pierce through trash due to its sharpness.
Therefore, this tool is best used on a beach cleanup, in the yard, or on a trail in wooded terrain. However, one would have difficulty picking anything up that is not relatively soft, or has some sort of handle. Here’s me struggling to use it to pick up a piece of metal from under a tree:
Measuring a total of 43”, the trash picker is a handy extension of your arm, so odds are the average person will not have to bend too far or at all, to pick items up. The needle at the end measures 4.5” and in my opinion it is extremely dangerous to have around. At the end of a solid stick, the combination makes this trash picker if not outright lethal, certainly a dangerous object or weapon. Also, there are numerous situations where you would NOT want to poke any of the trash and litter items before picking them up: picking up trash can be dirty and is a risky endeavor (think trucker bombs, dirty diapers, or used medical needles, just to name a few items that humans are known to occasionally improperly dispose of).
Overall, this is my least favorite tool, and I would not recommend it unless there are no better options available. Also, I would recommend this not be used in any sort of group cleanup event where accidents may happen.
Other Tools: The Garbo Grabber Trash Bagger Ring
Measured weight: 1.65 lbs.
After buying the Garbo Grabber in the summer of 2023, it sat in my garage unused until early December, when I decided to give it a try. According to the company’s website, the “Trash Bagger is the ultimate litter collection tool that eliminates those persistent problems and inconveniences while picking up litter. Its innovative design and ergonomic features let you stay in control of your bag, even on a windy day!”
Some inconveniences include finding the right-size trash bag for it (it is too big for a 20-gallon bag, for example), and the handle is positioned too close to the edge of the rim. That makes the lid and the entire bag that hangs from it tilt to one side, as opposed staying nice and flat.
Also, with a weight of 1.65 lbs and a diameter of 21”, it is a bit awkward to carry around for a long time, and I imagine may be a challenge to some folks not used to carrying .
Overall I found it useful, and will probably continue using it, as it removes the process of opening/closing, and carrying a large, elusive, gradually-filling trash bag. The handle is easy to grip, and the trash bag is easy to put on and take off at the end. I have not used it in windy conditions, which is what this tool seems best suited for.
Conclusion
In conclusion, each one of these litter grabbers is a decent tool for someone who wants to do the right thing and help clean up in their community. And if you can afford to have more than one, there are some nifty advantages to owning not just one, but a few of them:
Not only does it provide a backup in case one tool breaks down, but it also adds variety and makes the cleanup process less monotonous.
Sharing tools with friends or family during organized cleanups, or just neighborhood walks, can also be a great way to collaborate and make a collective impact. You can easily become a community leader!
If you have have a car, consider keeping one grabber in your trunk for on-the-go cleanups and another for your home use. That makes it convenient and increases your readiness.
With different tools available, the task of picking up litter becomes more enjoyable and efficient!
Tools matter and they help you get the job done. They can definitely speed up the process, and of course are safer than just picking up stuff with your hands. That said, when it comes to litter, not having a tool is not an excuse to do the right thing. If you doubt that, check out Alex Cio, a resident of Nürnberg, Germany who filled a bucket of 4,000 cigarette buts in just a few hours, by picking them up with his hands!
