Litter Champ is a larger container with a hands-free design that doesn’t require you to touch the canister to deposit the scooped waste, while the Litter Genie is smaller but requires you to lift the lid and use both hands to open a divider that lets waste drop into the bag. Both do a good job of trapping odors, but the Litter Genie seems to do a better job. They both have a similar bag system with one continuous ring of plastic liner you must tie on each end to create a bag, but the Litter Champ creates larger bags so you can go longer without emptying the container.
Litter Champ is the Winner if…
You want to change the bag less frequently, like the hands-free features, and appreciate biodegradable bags and less waste when it comes to refills. Litter Champ allows you to use your foot to press on the pedal that opens the lid, and use the scoop to press open the flap to deposit waste in the canister.
Litter Genie is the winner if…
You have less space for a disposal unit, don’t mind changing the bag more frequently, and want to spend less. Although the design to open the lid and get waste into the bag doesn’t work as smoothly as the Litter Champ, the spring-loaded divider that temporarily seals the bag does a better job of trapping odors.
Keep in mind, the Litter Genie does come in XL (same product but larger size). So if you like the size of Litter Champ but the design of Litter Genie, the XL is a good option:
LITTER CHAMP VS LITTER GENIE COMPARISON
| PRODUCT | SIZE | PRICE | SCOOP INCLUDED | REFILLS | ECO-FRIENDLY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Litter Champ  |
10″W X 9″L x 19.25″Tall | More expensive |
Yes | 3 pack; lasts 6 – 9 months | Biodegradable bags |
Litter Genie  |
9.5″W x 8.5″L x 17″Tall | Less expensive |
Yes | 2 pack; lasts 4 months | No |
#1 LITTER CHAMP DISPOSAL SYSTEM
Lucky Champ makes the Litter Champ, which is a cat litter disposal system. It’s designed to trap cat waste odors within the container, so you can scoop daily without having to make a trip to the outdoor garbage container to remove the smell from your home.
The canister is a large size (holds 4 gallons) and is made from an exclusive ABS resin that is non-porous, so it won’t absorb odors, is easy to clean, and is resistant to corrosive chemicals and physical impacts. Because the Litter Champ canister is bigger, the plastic liner is bigger as well, and you can go longer between changes. The Litter Champ comes with a matching litter scoop that can be stored on the hook that’s on the side of the canister.
The lid has three components that help trap odors inside the container. A top lid with a rubber ring to create a tighter seal, an interior lid, and a self-closing flap that allows you to drop waste in.
There is a bottom door the opens and allows you to tie off the bag and easily remove it when it’s full.
The plastic that holds the waste isn’t really a bag, but rather a tube of plastic that you tie a knot in to seal off the bottom and again to seal the top. This allows you to make the bag as big or small as you need. We’ll refer to it as the “plastic liner”
The plastic liner is 30% longer than the “leading brand” (according to their website, which we can assume means Litter Genie). It’s 21 feet long and typically lasts around 2 – 3 months (Litter Genie’s refill cartridges have 14 feet of plastic liner).
Their plastic liners are made with 20% recycled material and are 100% biodegradable. If you use a natural/biodegradable litter, you’re really reducing how much waste you and your cat produce. Here’s an article covering how to properly dispose of cat litter and how to reduce how much waste you and your cat produce.
HOW DOES LITTER CHAMP WORK?
Litter Champ allows you to scoop dirty litter as usual and drop the waste into a canister to trap the odors in. Use the Litter Champ scoop to scoop dirty litter, step on the foot pedal to raise the first lid, then use the scoop to press down on the second lid component and open the flap to drop waste into the container.
HOW TO CHANGE THE LITTER CHAMP
Open the bottom door on the canister (which swings open), where you’ll find a full bag of waste. Grab the plastic liner above the waste and pull down to release more liner and give you enough plastic to tie a knot above the waste. Cut the plastic using the attached cutter on the inside of the bottom door, then tie a knot in the top of the bag to seal it.
To start a new bag, pull down on the plastic liner so it is enough to tie a knot and touch the bottom of the canister. Tie a knot in the plastic liner to seal the bottom of the bag, and close the door.
LITTER CHAMP REFILLS
Unlike the Litter Genie, the Litter Champ has a reusable “cartridge” for the plastic liner. It’s a short plastic tube that the plastic liner sits on. The refill liners come in a ring shape and that ring of plastic sits on the outside of the reusable plastic tube/cartridge.
The plastic liner refills come in a cardboard box with 3 refills. The refills have a brown paper sleeve to keep them in their ring shape. You can recycle the box the plastic liner refills come in and the liners themselves are 100% biodegradable, so there’s much less waste with the Litter Champ.
The refills you buy are simply the loop of plastic, rather than the plastic cartridge and plastic liners, so you cut down significantly on waste.
Place the refill (which is the plastic liner bundled in a loop shape) around the outside of the plastic cartridge. Pull the outer layer of the plastic liner up and then down into the inside of the cartridge. Place the cartridge back into the Litter Champ, open the bottom door of the canister, and pull the liner down, so it reaches the bottom of the canister, and tie a knot in the plastic liner to seal the bottom of the bag.
Here’s a video to help explain.
LITTER CHAMP REFILL HACK
The nice thing about the Litter Champ and the reusable cartridge is that it’s much easier to use regular kitchen garbage bags if you run out of the plastic liners. You can simply bring the top of the kitchen garbage bag up through the middle of the cartridge and then fold it over the top of the cartridge to hold it in place.
It’s not as easy as simply pulling on the plastic liner, as you’ll have to open the bottom door to remove the kitchen garbage bag and then open the top lid to add a new garbage bag. However, it works in a pinch and allows you to save money if you continue to use kitchen garbage bags.
Another option is to simply use the plastic liner that dispenses from the refill as a “holding” bag. Use the Litter Champ plastic liner as usual, but tie a loose knot, or use a twist-tie, to temporarily close the bottom of the bag. Place another plastic bag at the bottom of the Litter Champ container, and set the knotted plastic liner in that bag. When the bag is full, pull the extra plastic bag up over the plastic liner and untie the knot or twist-tie to let the dirty litter fall into the plastic bag. This allows you to reuse the plastic liner over and over (until it starts to smell).
LITTER CHAMP PROS & CONS
WHAT PEOPLE LOVE
- Hands-free – your hands don’t have to touch the canister when scooping litter, as you can use your foot to press on the pedal that raises the lid, then use the scooper to press the interior flap down to let waste fall into the canister and bag.
- Length between changes – the bigger canister holds more waste and some cat owners were able to go 2 – 3 weeks before needing to tie off the bag and start a new one.
- Locking mechanism – if you have small children that like to get their hands in places they shouldn’t, you can lock the flap so no one can get into the bag full of waste.
WHAT PEOPLE DISLIKE
- Small scoop – the scoop width matches the width of the flap you must press open with the scoop. So to get all the litter in the canister, you can’t use too wide of a scoop.
- Flap – although the flap is easy to press down with the scoop, users don’t like that you must use a dirty scoop to do so, and many found there was always litter left on the flap that would sit on the top of the lid when the flap came back up.
- Odor control – although many reviewers were happy with how the Litter Champ trapped in odors, those who had previously used a Litter Genie found the Litter Champ to be less effective.
#2 LITTER GENIE DISPOSAL SYSTEM
The Litter Genie is a container to hold cat waste so you can scoop dirty litter into a container that seals and traps odors, and make fewer trips to the trash can. It has a funnel system with a divider that when closed, temporarily seals the bag and traps odors in the bottom of the container.
There is a lid you must open with your hands to drop the waste into the top part of the container. You can then close the lid and pull back on the funnel’s divider to open the “gate” and allow the waste to fall to the bottom of the container, and into the plastic liner.
The liner is made of 7-layer plastic, to help hold odors in. It lines the inside of the container and is dispensed from a cartridge that sits at the top of the container. The plastic liner is essentially a tube of plastic that you tie off at the bottom to start a new bag, and tie off at the top to close a bag.
The container holds up to two week’s worth of cat litter (for one cat) and a plastic liner lasts about 8 weeks for one cat.
HOW DOES LITTER GENIE WORK?
Scoop the litter box with the included litter scoop and open the Litter Genie’s lid using your other hand. Drop the litter into the canister, at which point, it will sit on top of the funnel/divider. Close the lid then pull the funnel lever towards you, to draw the divider back and allow the waste to drop into the canister. Release the funnel lever, which will seal the bag and help trap odors.
HOW TO CHANGE THE LITTER GENIE
Open the container at its middle point, so the top part of the container tips back. Grab the plastic liner above the waste to close the bag, then pull down on the plastic liner so you have enough plastic to tie a knot at the top. Slide the plastic through the cutter attached to the container to cut it and then tie a tight knot to seal the top of the bag.
To start a new bag, pull down on the plastic liner, tie a knot to seal the bottom of the bag, and close the top half of the canister.
LITTER GENIE REFILLS
Litter Genie refill cartridges look like plastic rings. They have a plastic tab you must peel away to expose the start of the plastic liner. Pull on that liner to start your bag and tie a knot to seal the bottom of it.
Open the lid and place the cartridge in the top of the Litter Genie. Pull the divider back to give you access to the bottom of the canister and push the bag to the bottom.
Here’s a video to help explain how the Litter Genie works (it was created in 2012, when they must have had 5-layer bags instead of 7-layer bags).
LITTER GENIE REFILL PROBLEMS
Some customers find when they pull on the plastic to dispense it from the plastic cartridge, it brings a double layer. Perhaps it’s pulling at both the start and the end of the plastic ring, wasting a lot of the plastic liner. Because the refill cartridge is enclosed, there isn’t a way to correct this, aside from unpeeling the two layers and rolling the “end” of the plastic ring, back towards the cartridge.
LITTER GENIE REFILL HACKS
To use regular kitchen garbage bags in a Litter Genie, make sure you don’t throw out the old cartridge. You will need that plastic ring to hold the kitchen bag in place. Bring the top of the kitchen bag up through the middle of the ring-shaped plastic cartridge and then fold it over the cartridge. Place the cartridge in the top of the Litter Genie, pull back the divider, and press the kitchen garbage bag into the container.
Alternatively, you can use the plastic liner that dispenses from the refill as a “holding” bag. Use the Litter Genie’s plastic liner as usual, but tie a loose knot, or use a twist-tie, to temporarily close the bottom of the bag. Place another plastic bag at the bottom of the Litter Genie container, and set the knotted plastic liner in that bag. When the bag is full, pull the extra plastic bag up over the plastic liner and untie the knot or twist-tie to let the dirty litter fall into the plastic bag. This allows you to reuse the plastic liner over and over (until it starts to smell).
LITTER GENIE PROS & CONS
WHAT PEOPLE LOVE
- Seals in odors – people who love the Litter Genie really love it for how well it traps odors. Those who have tried both claim the Litter Genie does a better job of sealing odors inside the container so your home doesn’t smell.
- Price – the Litter Genie is one of the most affordable litter disposal canisters on the market.
WHAT PEOPLE DISLIKE
- Trap door – the funnel divider you must pull on to grant the waste access to the container isn’t the greatest design. Small pieces of litter get stuck in the plastic folds and you typically need to shake the container to get the waste to drop into the bag. The container itself also isn’t heavy, so you must hold onto the container while you pull the handle to open the “gate”. This system requires two hands at all times.
- Refill price – the refill containers for the Litter Genie are expensive, which has many people looking for Litter Genie refill hacks.
- Small – the unit size is good if you have a small space, but not great if you’d like to fit more in a bag before having to tie it up and dispose of it.
I hope this article has helped you determine whether a Litter Champ or a Litter Genie is better for you 🙂
