Trash bag apparatus

An apparatus for holding a trash bag and for allowing said trash bag to be filled with trash, said trash bag including a hollow body portion having an opened end, said apparatus comprising:

• a) base means having an opening therethrough for allowing said body portion of said trash bag to extend therethrough and having a lip adjacent said opening for allowing said opened end of said body portion of said trash bag to be folded there over;
• said lip of said base means having an upper surface;
• b) funnel means having an opened first end for being positioned in communication with said hollow body portion of said trash bag and within said opening of said base means and having an opened second end, said funnel means having a passageway extending between said first and second ends for allowing trash inserted into said second end to pass therethrough into said hollow body portion of said trash bag, the cross-sectional area of said passageway at said second end of said funnel means being larger than the cross-sectional area of said passageway at said first end of said funnel means and larger than the cross-sectional area of said opened end of said body portion of said trash bag;
• said first end of said funnel means having a bottom portion for coacting with said lip of said base means to clamp said first end of said trash bag there between;
• said bottom portion of said first end of said funnel means having a lower surface;
• c) hinge means attaching said funnel means to said base means for allowing said funnel means to be moved between an opened position and a closed position;
• d) support means for being attached to said base means and for supporting said base means above a supporting surface;
• said support means being movable between an in-use position and a stored position;
• e) latch means for locking said funnel means in said closed position;
• and
• f) brace means for holding said funnel means in said opened position with the angle of rotation of said funnel means between said closed position and said opened position being less than 110 degrees.