Standard Trash Can Size – Different Home Trash Can Dimensions

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Discussing standard trash can sizes is certainly not something that comes up every day when visiting with friends, but goodness gracious, it can become a huge issue in the home if the correct trash can size for kitchens is not chosen with care. A relatively insignificant item in the kitchen such as the standard trash can size can become the elephant in the room if the trash can dimensions are not looked at properly. Navigating through this article will assist when making good choices when purchasing the correct trash can for the purpose intended, and we have also included some handy trash can size charts. So, what are the standard trash can sizes for kitchens? Let us find out!

Standard Trash Can Sizes

Before deciding on the trash can size needed for your home, there are a few things to take into consideration, such as how many people are in your home, how much trash you create as a family, what size kitchen you have, and what is the size of your bathroom.

Trash cans come in a huge variety of sizes and are made for almost any room you wish to place a trash can in, such as the kitchen, bedrooms, bathrooms, outdoor patio areas, and even the office.

Usually, the smaller trash cans are placed in bedrooms and offices, and bathrooms, while larger ones are placed in the kitchen and garage. While the exact standard trash can size will vary with each household, the general idea is that the bathroom trash can will be in the region of 4 gallons, a bedroom, and office area will be around 7 gallons and the kitchen trash can will be 12 to 16 gallons.

Below is helpful trash can size chart to assist you.

Trash Can Dimensions

If you are an avid recycler, we recommend a 7 to 19-gallon trash can that will be big enough for the items you want to throw away. If you throw all your rubbish into one bin, such as food, recyclables, and other trash in the same trash can, then you should look to increase the dimension of the bin to at least 20 to 30 gallons. When purchasing standard trash can size, look at whether the trash can has a lid. The kitchen is the place in the home where most recycling takes place.

Office bins usually don’t have lids, while trash cans used in public spaces are decorative and placed to attract people to throw their trash in the bin instead of leaving it on the park bench.

Trash Can Gallons

Talking about trash can gallons is really just talking about the weight that trash can will handle. 35 gallons, 64 gallons, and 96 gallons are your trash can gallons. The standard size outdoor garbage can is between 30 to 35 gallons. This trash can dimension usually comes in 20, 35, 50, and 90 trash can gallon sizes.

Other Types of Trash Cans

Desk trash cans, or office trash cans, are available from 7 to 12 gallons. Curb-side trash cans are usually 35 gallons, which is ideal for families of two but a bigger family may have to look at 50 to 60 gallons. A countertop trash can is usually less than 2 gallons. These are the smallest-sized trash cans you will find and are used to dispose of things such as cotton swabs and cotton buds. They fit well into small spaces and vanities and are easy to carry when they need to be emptied.

Industrial trash cans are available in 48-, 64-, and 96-gallon sizes. They are usually stationary and you will find that they are lifted by trucks. These types of trash cans will be placed on rubbish dump sites for the disposal of heavy-duty items.

Measuring a Trash Can

To get the correct garbage bag to fit your trash can, note the length and width of the trash can and then note the height of the trash can. Add 4 inches to the height amount, which allows for a bit of overhang when placing a bin liner into the trash can. Most trash cans have printed gallon capacity sizes on the outside of the trash can when purchasing, which makes it easier to purchase the bin liners.

A 7- to 10-gallon trash can will be the correct size for an under-the-sink space but always measure the space first. Round trash cans, can be measured by noting the height, add on one-half diameter plus another 6 inches for overhang. To measure the circumference of round trash cans, measure the distance across the opening of the trash can. This will be the bin’s diameter. Once you have the diameter, multiply it by 3.14 to find the correct circumference.

Square or rectangular trash cans, can be measured by noting the height, plus the longer diagonal section plus 6 inches for the overhang. Trash bags are available to purchase in a range of sizes. The 13-gallon trash bag is most commonly used in the household. The 18-gallon is used for high-traffic areas such as public parks.

The 20-gallon trash bag is for those perfect items when gardening or backyard leaf cleaning.

Trash Can Sizes for Kitchens

Trash cans for kitchens usually range between 10 to 20 gallons, but this depends on how often you cook and how many people live in the home. If you are a household of two people, then smaller trash can size for the kitchen can be an option.

Hiding the Trash Can

Trash cans in kitchens are usually not a nice sight and many prefer them to have their own space where it draws little attention. A few suggestions to hide your kitchen trash can would be to use an under-counter tray slide-out in a kitchen cabinet or use small trash cans that can hang on the inside of a small low cabinet door. Another good way to keep the trash can hidden is by having a pre-made stand-alone cupboard that has a tilt-out door.

The majority of under-the-sink kitchen cabinets are 30 inches tall and shorter trash cans should be able to fit into this space easily. Remember to leave room to throw the trash in. A 7 to 10-gallon trash can will do the trick, but make sure that you know the size of the space before you buy your trash can.

Recycle Bins

With more and more people becoming aware of the conservation of the planet, recycling has become a buzz word and, in most cases, people opt to purchase three or even four trash cans to separate their trash into different bins so that recycling of the trash can be made easy.

• A green trash can would be used to deposit food waste, yard waste, and organic material.
• A blue trash can would be used for your hard objects such as bottles, tin cans, and plastic as well as cardboard and paper.
• A gray trash can would be used for anything else that is not organic or recyclable.

The more we produce waste, the more emissions we are generating into the atmosphere.

Several health concerns have arisen over the last few decades that are directly linked to the amount of waste on the earth. Thus, the buzzword “recycling” has been added to most of our vocabularies so that we can try to avoid more things produced from factory lines by recycling them instead.

Interesting Facts About Trash

There is more to trash than meets the eye! Luckily, today, more and more people want to recycle and care about where their trash ends up. Here are a few little-known facts about trash.

• The first types of waste baskets were used in the early 1800s and were made from wood and metal.
• Generally, people emptied these baskets into bigger trucks that were driven around every week. These days the process is similar, except we have huge trucks that collect waste straight from our homes.

• On average, one person in America can create a daily weight of 4.9 pounds of trash a day, which equates to 56 tons a year.
• More than 52 million tons of paper items are recycled a year, this is the same weight as 350 000 blue whales. Recycling not only helps the planet but also saves energy. Just by recycling one glass bottle, enough energy to light a bulb for four hours will be created.

Most people have become very conscious of their surroundings and how we dispose of our waste. We need to ensure that there is life on earth for many generations still to come and one of the easiest ways to assist with this, is to recycle our waste where we can. The world at large has become more focused on conservation and disposing of waste is just one of the small steps we can take in doing our part for mankind. We hope that you have enjoyed the article on the best trash can dimensions to look at to add not only comfort to your home but will be meaningful as well. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is a Garbage Monitoring System or Smart Bin?

The garbage monitoring system monitors the level of garbage collected in a bin. This bin uses ultrasonic sensors over it, which will detect the garbage level when comparing it to the depth of the garbage tin.

Why Do Waste Bins Need to Be Kept Covered?

The simple reason for this is to keep water out of the bin. If it rains and the lid is open, water can accumulate at the bottom of the bin and can start contamination around the bin area. The cover of the bin keeps the rubbish dry. When it is time to dispose of the trash, it is done without much effort.  Keeping the trash can closed will also eliminate the odors that come through from the waste which starts to rot in the hot sun.

What Are Garbage Bins Made From?

Garbage bins are available in many different types of materials and the choice you make will depend on your personal needs. The most common trash cans are plastic, and these contain Polyethylene. A variety of trash cans are made from metal and concrete.