Before my most recent kitchen trash can purchase, I never thought very hard about what I was buying — and that was a mistake. While technically any old vessel will work fine enough, there are now plenty of options on the market that will let you dial in the look, size, material, and type of closure mechanism that suits you best. You can buy a particularly slim model to fit into an odd corner, or one that stows inside a cabinet. There are options that open with a step-pedal, and others with a touchless sensor. Many house two bins so you can discard recycling in the same place. And brands like Simplehuman and Brabantia have made an effort to design trash cans that take aesthetic just as seriously as functionality.
To come up with this list of the very best trash cans, I drew on my own experience and talked to interior designers, food professionals, home organizers, and fellow Strategist staffers about the ones they use in their homes. The models all look quite nice and most keep smells at bay — and many boast additional features like soft-close lids and edges designed to hide unsightly bags. While a few of my picks might feel like a splurge for a vessel you literally put garbage in, the details make them worth it — and I’ve added plenty of affordable containers, too, for those who care less about the bells and whistles. Read on to see them all, and while you’re at it, consider a compost bin.
The capacity of a trash can refers to how many gallons of waste it can hold. (If you click into certain links, you’ll see this designation in liters, but I’ve converted those for the sake of consistency.) For reference, the most common trash bag capacity you’ll see is 13 gallons, which will work for most of the bins below — though you’ll have to scale up if you choose a larger model. For the models that have dual compartments, I’ve noted the total capacity and that of each bin.
If you’re trying to fit your trash can into a small space or cabinet interior, dimensions obviously matter. But even if you have room to play with, size can affect the look of your kitchen. “If it’s too big, its bulkiness will detract from the rest of your space, while adding unnecessary clutter,” says professional organizer Caroline Solomon. In contrast, a small one could look out of proportion when placed next to a large two-door fridge.
Plastic is the most common material you’ll see. It’s budget-friendly and easy enough to clean. Still, several of the experts I spoke to prefer stainless steel, which can be sleeker (some even come with a smudgeproof finish) and more durable in the long term, and makes it harder for odors to escape. Or you could opt for a plastic-coated metal trash can if you want a pop of color, Solomon says. These are rust-resistant and just need a swipe of soapy water to clean.
This has happened to me more than once: hands full of garlic and onion skins or browned banana peels and no way to open the trash can. Here’s where lids and pedals make all the difference. A lift-top requires a free hand, while a step-pedal can be operated by foot. If you go the swing-top route, it’s all about the timing, while a thoroughly modern motion-sensor trash can is ready whenever you are. Then there’s how it closes: Does it have an open top? Or an automatic soft-close lid? When open, a butterfly lid (usually used in multi-compartment designs) only takes up a few inches versus other cans that can pop up to almost a foot, says Elsa Elbert, the professional organizer behind Composed Living.
There are varying mechanisms that control how a trash bin opens and closes: step-pedal, motion sensor, touch-top, pull-out, or flip-top. Several also offer a “soft-close” or “silent-close” lid, meaning the top won’t bang shut as soon as you release it.
Capacity: 13 gallons | Size: 16.8” x 13” x 26.4” | Material: Steel with plastic interior liner | Compartments: One | Closure: Soft-close step-pedal
I love my kitchen trash can. This may sound silly, but after keeping a super-generic one around for years, I finally upgraded to Kohler’s sleek, bag-hiding model. This second feature is what I appreciate most: It has a liftable edge on the top that sits over the removable inner plastic bin. You tuck the bag securely around that bin and then pop the edge down so that when the lid is closed, you don’t see any evidence of the bag, which stays secure until it’s time to remove and take out the trash. (It takes a tiny bit of maneuvering to get into place, but it’s so worth it.)
The container is mostly white, save for the stainless-steel top and step-pedal — and taken altogether, the whole thing has a clean look. (Seriously, friends have literally complimented it.) And the outside is super-easy to wipe down. I find the 13-gallon size to be perfect: I live in a household of two and cook a lot, and it fills up just about twice a week, which is exactly how often the trash gets picked up from my apartment building. I’ve never had an issue with stink escaping, either.
Capacity: 8 gallons | Size: 15” x 11.54” x 26.7” | Material: Steel with plastic interior bucket | Compartments: One | Closure: Soft-close step-pedal
Brabantia is a well-loved brand you’ll see multiple times on this list. Like my Kohler, this one is quite nice-looking — but has the added benefit of coming in many neutral shades plus several poppy colors if that’s your thing. It has less capacity, so might be better suited to someone who lives alone or doesn’t cook quite as much. But this also means it has smaller dimensions (in everything but the height), meaning you can more easily slip it into a tight space. (Plus, it has a hinge on the back that keeps the lid from banging into the wall.) Architect Ming Thompson, who recommended it at our sister site Curbed, likes to use two of the cans in different colors for trash and recycling, making the otherwise “mundane function” a little more spirited, she says. Design expert and historian Alessandra Wood says it creates “a design moment for trash” without trying to hide that it’s a trash can.
As for how it holds up: Strategist writer Ambar Pardilla has tested quite a few cans (she worked on a previous version of this story), and this Brabantia remains her personal favorite — the one she has consistently kept out since she first got her hands on it two years ago. “It has been covered in egg whites, salad dressing, and rogue spaghetti,” she says. “But you almost wouldn’t know it, as the steel surface is easily wiped down.” She also notes that the exterior can stand up to plate scraping (just be careful with silverware, as it can get a visible nick with a sharp edge).
Capacity: 10.6 gallons (5.3 gallons per bin) | Size: 10.4” x 23.3” x 26” | Material: Brushed stainless steel with recycled-plastic inner buckets | Compartments: Two | Closure: Step pedal
Simplehuman receives a lot of praise. It is an established leader in this niche space, known for bins that are nice-looking, hardworking, and long-lasting enough to warrant their higher price tags across the board. This particular one is a good bet for people who don’t have a dedicated area for recycling thanks to its two-compartment interior. Pardilla says the approximately five-gallon bins “easily swallow value-size Softsoap bottles, stacks of Coffee-Mate creamers, and the discards from a home-cooked dinner for four.” She used standard 13-gallon bags without a problem, but points out you can spring for Simplehuman’s own line to get a tighter fit. She also appreciates how well it contains smells: “I forgot I had garlic bits and banana peels in mine even after a few days,” she says.
Strategist senior editor Winnie Yang has had the 11.9-gallon, single-compartment version of this trash can for four years and says it’s a good size for handling all the garbage her household of two adults, two kids, and two animals produce. She and her husband like that when you’re taking out the trash (or otherwise need the can to stay open without stepping on the pedal), you can lift the inner bucket out slightly and rest it at a slant to keep the hatch open. She cautions against operating the pedal while anything sits on top of the can, however: “Our cat likes to jump or stand on top of the closed can, and trying to open it while he’s on it did something bad to one of the hinges so that the hatch doesn’t open fully anymore.” In general, she finds that Simplehuman cans are well made, with parts that operate smoothly, and otherwise durable.
Elbert is another fan. She’s owned this bin for four years and it’s still in great shape. Beyond durability, she likes the butterfly lid, which she says is more likely to fit under counters and in cabinets than some other models: “When the lid is open, it only takes up a few inches, versus some cans, when the whole lid pops up, it’s almost a foot tall,” she says. It also slowly and silently shuts on its own once you release the pedal.
Photo: Ambar Pardilla
Capacity: 16 gallons (8 gallons per bin) | Size: 10.6” x 10.6” x 23” | Material: Stainless steel with plastic interior buckets | Compartments: Two | Closure: Soft-close step-pedal
Songmics’ dual compartment holds more trash and recyclables than the Simplehuman, split between two inner buckets that are eight gallons each. It’s about a foot wider as a result, but if you have the space, the extra room allows for more time before you have to take out the trash. It also has two step-pedals and lids that operate independently: “If there’s a big mess, you won’t have to worry about it falling into the other side,” explains Naeemah Ford Goldson, owner of Restore Order Professional Organizing. Even though both interior buckets are the same color (unlike the Simplehuman, which designates black for trash and blue for recycling), she color-codes them with different garbage bags so her sons know which is which. Each bucket also has convenient handles for lifting.
Capacity: 18.5 gallons (9.25 gallons per bin) | Size: 21.34” x 12.99” x 26.42” | Material: Stainless steel with plastic lid | Compartments: Two | Closure: Motion-sensor lid
Instead of a step-pedal, this bin opens by motion sensor and closes automatically after you walk away. (It requires three D-cell batteries to operate.) This function will prove handy if you tend to deal with a lot of food scraps as you cook, and avoids any instance of a pedal getting dirty (which can happen; I wipe mine down semi-regularly).
Solomon, who recommends this can, likes that the inside container has two compartments. It holds more per side than both the Simplehuman and the Songmatic, and as such, takes up a decent amount of space. But “while it’s not entirely rectangular shaped, it does have a flat side so you can easily store it against a wall,” Solomon says. I have to admit: I don’t personally think it’s the most attractive option (both due to the bulk and the plastic lid, though those cafeteria-looking magnetic indicators at the front are removable). But if you’re set on a touchless bin, the price for this one can’t be beat. (For reference, Simplehuman’s slightly smaller voice- and motion-activated model costs $250.)
Capacity: 16 gallons | Size: 15.8” x 15.8” x 28” | Material: Stainless steel | Compartments: One | Closure: Touch-top lid
This trash can has the largest capacity of any other unit on this list, ideal for folks who cook a lot or live with several people. It’s incredibly well built: Recipe developer and cookbook author Jessie Sheehan has owned hers for a whopping ten years — a notably long life span. While you do need to touch the lid to open it, she says it’s sensitive, so even the lightest tap will work — and if her hands are full, she simply uses her elbow. The angled lid helps guide waste down so it doesn’t end up on the sides of the can, and the opening itself is wide, which makes dumping larger pieces of waste, or scraping off the surface of platters, easy. Once the top has flipped up, it stays that way, so she can make multiple trips before she closes it, too. And Sheehan says the bin’s odor containment is so effective, her pets never loiter around the can.
Capacity: 11.8 gallons | Size: 10.19” x 19.88” x 26.5” | Material: Stainless steel | Compartments: One | Closure: Step-pedal
In small kitchens, the shape and size of a trash can may well be the most important factor you’re considering when shopping. Shallower, more rectangular models will be easier to scoot into corners and narrow openings. Strategist associate editor Jenna Milliner-Waddell bought hers four years ago to fit into a particular spot in her kitchen. But since then, she’s moved twice — and has been able to take this adaptable bin with her. “There has always been the right amount of space to butt it up against the counter or island without taking away too much walking space — or any at all,” she says. Still, at nearly 12 gallons, it holds a lot. The stainless-steel finish also makes it look more expensive than it is, and it wipes down easily.
Capacity: 9.5 gallons | Size: 21.3” 12.3” x 26.8” | Material: Steel with plastic legs and interior bucket | Compartments: One | Closure: Touch-top lid
Here’s another touch-top model from Brabantia — though the standout feature of this one is its legs, which give a little over nine inches of clearance off the floor. The gap makes it accessible to clean the surrounding area (as a comparison, I have to fully move my Kohler can out of the way if scraps ever fall behind or to the sides). It also just looks nice: “Not even like a trash can,” says Wood. More specifically, Thompson likens it to a “a vintage icebox or a mysterious piece of stereo equipment.”
While Pardilla, who tested this model based on those two pros’ recommendations, notes that it takes up a fair amount of space, she says it can stand flush against the wall. She appreciates that the entire lid comes off so you can give it a more serious scrub if need be, and that the inner bucket fits fully inside the outer container so that the bag is hidden. Like with Sheehan’s recommended Brabantia above, you have to use your hand or elbow to open it, and the lid stays until you push it closed, making it more useful for ongoing cleaning tasks than a step-pedal that shuts as soon as you remove your foot.
Capacity: 9.2 gallons (4.6 gallons per bin) | Size: 9.8” x 17.7” x 19.1” | Material: Steel frame, plastic bins | Compartments: Two | Closure: Fully open pullout
If you believe a trash can is best when out of sight, consider this Simplehuman bin. Installation couldn’t be easier: You affix the preassembled ball-bearing track to the bottom of any cabinet that can fit the full dimensions with four small screws. The structure is sturdy, keeping the plastic bins fully secure. The contraption rolls smoothly in and out with a pull and push of the steel chrome handle at the front. Four experts — Yang, Solomon, Elbert, and Gotham Organizers founder Lisa Zaslow — all rave about how nice it is to keep garbage out of sight. And though the capacity per bin is on the smaller size compared to some others on this list, Zaslow thinks it’s perfect. It’s “large enough so that you don’t have to empty it every day and small enough to be able to fit bags in most apartment trash chutes,” she says. (It comes as a 7.9-gallon one-compartment version, too, if that’s your preference.) She also appreciates that the bins “glide out fully” so that the bags are easy to remove when full.
Capacity: 2.6 gallons | Size: 11.75” x 8.75” x 14.25” | Material: Steel frame with plastic bucket | Compartments: One | Closure: Flip-top lid
For those who don’t have enough cabinet space for a pullout or enough floor space for any of the models above, an in-cabinet can might be the best bet. This one is decidedly small, so expect to take out the trash daily. But at least it’s completely hidden — a plus when you live with a tiny kitchen that takes a lot of streamlining to look organized. It’s also very cheap. The bin attaches to the inside of a cabinet door by mounting directly, or you can hang it from the top edge of the door with hooks. Either way, all the hardware you need is included in the box.
Beth Penn, founder of Bneato Organizing, has kept two in her kitchen — one for trash and one for recycling — since 2017 and says they’re still going strong. She even recommends the bin to clients all the time, noting that it’s simple to set up and especially renter-friendly. “I get no complaints, only rave reviews,” she says.
• Elsa Elbert, professional organizer behind Composed Living
• Naeemah Ford Goldson, owner of Restore Order Professional Organizing
• Jenna Milliner-Waddell, Strategist associate editor
• Beth Penn, founder of Bneato Organizing
• Ambar Pardilla, Strategist writer
• Jessie Sheehan, recipe developer and cookbook author
• Caroline Solomon, professional organizer
• Ming Thompson, architect
• Alessandra Wood, design expert and historian
• Winnie Yang, Strategist senior editor
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