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See why.New-Generation Kitchen Trash Cans
We purchased five tall kitchen trash cans, including standard bargain bins and luxury models, priced from about $18 to about $180.
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What You Need To Know
Gone are the days when a kitchen trash can was nothing more than a simple plastic bin with a lid. These days, your choices include sleek models in fingerprint-proof stainless steel with motion sensors that can set you back close to $200. No matter its cost, a well-designed trash can should combine a sturdy, spacious, and easy-to-clean frame with a lid that opens wide and then seals tight to trap in odors. It should also be easy to use, allowing us to quickly deposit trash and swiftly remove a full bag and insert a new one. To find out what our money would buy, we purchased five tall kitchen trash cans, including standard bargain bins and luxury models, priced from about $18 to about $180.
After confirming that standard 13-gallon trash bags fit into all the cans, we stuffed them with identical assortments of garbage, knocking off points if the bags slipped off the corner of the bin or fell down entirely, snagged, or were difficult to fill or remove. Compared with round or square frames, testers preferred rectangular models, which had a small footprint if placed against a wall and offered plenty of room for trash to settle into even layers instead of forming pyramids. (Although all the bins had similar capacities, it’s no fun pushing down on trash to make it fit.) We also liked lids that attach on a hinge and swing back completely for full access to the barrel. Two models had a small swinging door set into the lid and were difficult to use without dropping food scraps onto the floor or the exterior of the can. Trash also tended to pile into pyramids under these small openings.
To evaluate odor retention, we lined each can with a fresh bag and then dropped three peeled hard-cooked eggs, a cup of chopped raw onions, and an open can of tuna fish into each one. We closed the lids and let them sit for a weekend and then sniffed for odors on Monday. The top performers remained virtually odor-free, whereas a model with a charcoal pack built into the underside of the lid failed to adequately contain smells. We also evaluated sturdiness with several weeks of daily use in home kitchens, with testers finding that the heaviest models were also the sturdiest.
Finally, since we often approach a trash can with both hands full, how the user opens the bin (step pedal, button, motion sensor, or manually) was an important consideration. We preferred hands-free models, but only one truly delivered, with a wide foot pedal and a slow-close lid that lowered gently when we released the pedal. (The lid on the other foot-pedal model occasionally sprang open too far and had to be closed by hand, and the motion sensor on a high-priced bin was inconsiste...
Everything We Tested
Highly Recommended
- Bag Fit: 3 stars out of 3.
- Stability: 3 stars out of 3.
- Odor Control: 3 stars out of 3.
- Barrel Access: 3 stars out of 3.
- Opening and Closing: 3 stars out of 3.
We appreciated the foot pedal on this model, which flips the lid open completely and allows it to close slowly when released, as well as its sleek but spacious frame. But our new favorite does more than just meet all our basic requirements for a trash can; its additional features show impressive attention to detail. Among them: a fingerprint-proof stainless-steel exterior, a lightweight liner that can be slid out completely for cleaning or lifted onto an interior rest for easy bag changes, air vents that prevent air bubbles from forming around the bag, and a small switch that can be easily flipped to keep the lid open for extended tasks. It also remained virtually odor-free after sitting for a weekend with raw onion, tuna fish, and hard-cooked eggs inside. Although Simplehuman manufactures custom “size Q” bags, we found that any standard 13-gallon bag will work.
Recommended
- Bag Fit: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Stability: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Odor Control: 3 stars out of 3.
- Barrel Access: 3 stars out of 3.
- Opening and Closing: 2 stars out of 3.
Although there’s nothing fancy about this trash can and it lacks a hands-free opening mechanism, it performed well in the majority of our tests. The lid swings easily on its hinge, opens completely, and can be left open. It’s also a snap to line the can and remove full bags, and it kept odors contained. Our only real complaints: The can’s light weight made it less stable than heavier models, and the bag occasionally slipped down when we tossed in a heavy item.
Recommended with reservations
- Bag Fit: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Stability: 1.5 stars out of 3.
- Odor Control: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Barrel Access: 3 stars out of 3.
- Opening and Closing: 1.5 stars out of 3.
This can was difficult to assemble and of questionable quality, with a clunky hinge on the lid that sometimes slid loose on one model and arrived broken on another. Stepping on the foot pedal with only a little extra force was enough to send the lid slamming back, and the opening mechanism took up usable space inside the barrel. A thin plastic ring clamped the top of the bag in place and slipped off easily when we replaced the bag, and we detected only a few mild smells emanating from this can during the odor test.
Not Recommended
- Bag Fit: 3 stars out of 3.
- Stability: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Odor Control: 1.5 stars out of 3.
- Barrel Access: 1.5 stars out of 3.
- Opening and Closing: 1.5 stars out of 3.
For the price, we expected near perfection, but this trash can didn’t deliver. The push button worked, but it activated a small swinging door instead of opening the entire lid. As a result, trash piled up in a pyramid instead of dispersing into an even layer. It also required you to repeatedly touch the trash can—once to open it, once to close it. The lid slid on effortlessly and kept the bag firmly in place, but it had to be removed entirely to replace the bag. The can cleaned up easily but did only a fair job of trapping smells. Although Brabantia sells custom “H size” bags, we found that any 13-gallon bag works fine.
- Bag Fit: 1 stars out of 3.
- Stability: 2 stars out of 3.
- Odor Control: 2 stars out of 3.
- Barrel Access: 1 stars out of 3.
- Opening and Closing: 1.5 stars out of 3.
Equipped with a motion sensor that automatically raises and lowers the lid, this can promises hands-free use. But the sensor was inconsistent, requiring frantic hand waving one day and springing open when we walked by it on other occasions. The can is also skinny and square, and the lid has only a small opening, so trash easily gets lodged against the sides and must be shoved down to fill a 13-gallon bag to its maximum capacity. The lid had to be taken off completely to remove full bags, and because the barrel’s plastic collar isn’t attached to the lid or frame, it often got tangled up with the trash. Despite a charcoal pack on the underside of the lid that is meant to mitigate odors, this can didn’t stay entirely odor-free.
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The mission of America’s Test Kitchen Reviews is to find the best equipment and ingredients for the home cook through rigorous, hands-on testing.
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