What you need to know about a under the sink trash can

Hello welcome to our kitchen blog where we talk about everything that has to do with your home kitchen space. We have noticed that under the sink trash can setups are becoming very popular , so feel free to check out more content like this here.

Why do people put their trash can under the sink?

There are pros and cons about why people choose under the sink trash can slider options vs having an exposed 30 gallon trash can or waste bin. You want to make sure you have the right size kitchen base cabinet for your garbage storage system to work for you. You may run into issues if you do not measure correctly the space you have available for the simple trash can slides to fit into the cupboard space in depth. Will you be going with a single trash can unit with all the extra garbage can accessories. If so then read along the pro’s and con’s to find out what these unique features are.

Pro’s

Under the Sink Pull Out Trash Can

• One of the best pull out trash can features you can add is a trash can lid that will prevent overfill and improve functionality. The main concern that most people have is which cabinet it can fit under and honestly the kits for under cabinet trash cans come in several different sizes.
• Picking your waste container size , 5 gallon trash cans are ideal but a 10 gallon trash bin or slight larger one can be fine according to space available. 
• A lot of pull out trash cans can be loud and hard to maneuver but so you are extra careful about how your garbage can slides work then be aware that slamming them can make a lot of loud noises and possibly cause damage to either the base cabinet or the plastic trash can. The solution is to find the soft close features that work great for quiet trash can slide in drawers glides.
• The hand washing sink is a very busy area and you can easily adapt the under sink trash can for faster access to either a wet or dirty rag dispenser for easy wash or recycling. The other choice is a trash can that you can quickly access to throw away any sink food residue.
• Buying the best pull out trash can is ideal if you have the funds but there is nothing stopping you from building a custom diy trash can. The cool thing is that you can change the cabinet door function with a quick space upgrade, There are lots of options from building a floor box that will hold the trash cans and you can either attach that wooden garbage box to the actual cabinet door or leave the door as a swing out and attach the slides to your cabinet floor with added support on inner sides.
• Are your hands dirty with the sauce or meats your are cooking and need to access a under the sink trash can with out getting your cabinet dirty? Then worry no more and enjoy this easy fix. A push open under cabinet trash can is an awesome solution that gives you the freedom to push the trashcan door with your knee, foot , elbow , wrist or even hips all with out having to get anything dirty.
• Always make sure you are happy with the sliding mechanism and how it works, because depending on which design you get keep in mind that you want to have the drawer slides that bring out the trash can completely past the outside of the cabinet and not just partially because that will close the opening you have for putting the waste in the container.

Con’s

Under the Sink Trash Can Ideas

• The truth is that garbage storage can be very messy, no matter how careful you are there will always be splatters or stains inside that under the sink trash can and will require regular cleaning to prevent bad odors or bug contamination.
• Most pull out waste containers will not come with a trash can lid, that is mostly because they will not fit or for the practical purpose of having to access the pull out recycle bin or trash can with only one motion versus two when you have to pull open the cabinet door and then lift or press the trash can lid.
• What kind of kitchen waste to expect include any left over meals, plastics and pieces of glass, cardboard and package materials, be aware of sharp objects like knives and other dangers, Cleaning the kitchen and home comes with lot of chemical waste either in the solid form or liquid waste, and the little crumbs that come from bakery waste or residue.
• Durability is one of the biggest factors you should consider, the heavier your trash cans get the more of a risk you are running of long term damage especially if you have double trash cans the dual trash can weight can mess up the sliding mechanisms and cause the back screws to pop out of place or plastic will bend or break.
• A metal trash can be a good idea if you are into the stainless steel trash can look or perhaps want it to match your appliances but will require more cleaning and perhaps even more tear and wear on the moving parts.
• Do you have a garbage disposal in the way of your under the sink trash can? If so then no worries there are smaller pull out trash cans you can add on the opposite side. Organization can still be applied with rearrangement of stuff already inside or if you have plumbing experience you can rearrange the drain and water lines in a form that give you more space to fit a under the sink trash can.
• Appearances can be critical so when your kitchen hardware wont match the purpose of the cabinet functionality that may be an issue, for example if you have a door then you place your hardware on the opposite side of the hinges for a swing out door, and for the pull out drawers you need to add the hardware in the center. Ideally the pull out trash can should have the center hardware to distribute pulling pressure and provide your cabinet door to open properly and not crooked to one side because your trash cans will get heavy and it may cause your door to start leaning.
• Alignment can be an issue when you use an under counter garbage can solution that is attached to your cabinet door frame. The weight of the trash cans moving in and out will cause the drawers slides to miss align so you will notice that the door will begin to close crooked. The solution to  a door mount trash can slide is to get a system that does not attach to the door frame itself and instead screw down onto the cabinet floor and sides. Having the trash can slides attached to your door frame will allow you to access the trash can with one motion and if you go with the cabinet floor mount trash can then you will need to first open the door then actually pull out the trash can.

How to install trash can under the sink on the door mount

You can install the trash can hardware and drawer slides on the door frame itself by using extra wood components to mount it. Your objective will be to first build the wooden box that will support the trash cans with proper integrity. 

Next add a support panel behind the door itself keeping in mind to stay with in the border of door and take into consideration the space that overlaps the cabinet face frame.

The trash can drawer slides can now be attached onto the box built for the trash cans, it should just be one part of the slides attached to your box and the receiving parts of your slides will mount onto the inner sides of your face frame and the back wall of cabinet. 

Once you have your trash can box operational and easily sliding in and out from the bottom of your sink with out it hitting anything inside including plumbing and wires. Now you can align the face of trash can box onto the panel from back of door and make sure you use the right size screws and so that you do not penetrate through the door itself. This will take a lot of alignment because you want your door to match the other ones next to it from sides and tops.

Under the Sink Trash Can with Lid VS Under Cabinet Waste Container

When it comes down to where you want your under counter trash can to go please keep in mind that there is a trade off for each choice. If you choose to go with the under the sink trash can you will have a smaller space but you will be using a bunch of wasted space that hardly every gets used properly and this gives you the opportunity to use your other base cabinets for more cookware storage. Yes, if you use a regular base cabinet with a drawer on top then you will get more storage options with a larger trash can but the trade off for that is that each time you open that top drawer above the trash cans you will get to smell whatever is in your trash at that given moment. Hope this helps you out and feel free to ask questions.

Tilt out trash can

The cheapest way to build a garbage can enclosure is to use less hardware and more ingenuity. When building any kind of structure you will notice that the more hardware, brackets or metal components you use the more expensive your project will be.

The tilt out trash can cabinet is a wonderful solution for the low budget homeowner and still works and looks like a million bucks. The only hardware you will need for this design is the pair of hinges for the bottom of door to tilt out and the rest of the build will be the common wood, glue, and screws.

Another good use of these tilt out trash bins is that because of the depth and size of these bigger units you can use these not only for trash but also as dirty laundry baskets, or towel dispensers either for your personal home or a commercial business setting.

Best Pet Proof Kitchen Trash Can

Finding a trash can that is pet proof can be challenging but if you want to go with the expensive solution and buy an electronic trash can with automatic lid or simply store your trash can somewhere out of sight and out of mind with a under cabinet waste container or even a under the sink trash can, well you have options.

You will still have to empty out the trash cans regularly because the smell will get their attention. Also please be sure to include lids on those trash cans.

Conclusion

Thank you for stopping by and learning more about under the sink trash cans and I hope it is a fit for you. You can find the solution you need or you can make it yourself with a little skill and guidance.

I enjoy helping homeowners in their kitchen selections and needs along the way while I install the kitchen cabinets in place. So no matter what I am working on either hanging crown molding on the wall cabinets or laying out the vanity sink cabinets I am always looking for opportunities to make the life of my customers better and to have a nicer experience renovating their kitchen .

We have lots of other blog posts that can help guide you along your home projects so feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns and most importantly thank you for your time and for allowing us onto your screens today.