The key to finding the best kitchen bin for your home comes down to two factors: size and style. Taking a look around your current household, you have to consider how many times you are taking out the rubbish to the wheelie bin outside and if, indeed, this has become a painful chore you're looking to avoid at all costs.
It may mean choosing a larger bin than you have now, such as a double bin, but you will need to factor in the size of your kitchen. If your new kitchen bin is too large, it could stick out, and if you haven't got a space for it, then perhaps you need to consider an under-the-counter bin or an integrated bin.
Best Kitchen Bins At A Glance
• Best kitchen bin for recycling: Joseph Joseph Totem Max 60L Waste And Recycling Bin
• Best kitchen bin with touch top: Brabantia Bo Touch 3 X 11L Bin
• Best kitchen bin with pedal: Argos Home 30 Litre Round Kitchen Pedal Bin
There are plenty of bin styles to choose from, whether you prefer a pedal bin, are looking to upgrade to a sensor bin so you can go hands-free when scraping away food, or even a touch-top double bin with several compartments or a dedicated recycling bin to improve your eco-friendly habits.
We're all for adopting more sustainable ways to live, and a recycling bin is a great faff-free option for making recycling at home easier. With several internal compartments and some colour-coded bins available, you and your family can sort plastic, glass, cardboard, tins and green waste with ease. For more tips on what to look for when purchasing a new bin, scroll to the FAQs below.
Best Kitchen Bins 2023
Best kitchen bin with touch top
On Sale
With a total capacity of 60L, the Brabantia Bo Touch Bin is for a household looking to keep on top of recycling. It features a soft-touch opening system with a wide lid, so it reduces any awkwardness when trying to scrape food or dispose of rubbish. The Bo Touch also comes with legs and adjustable feet to create a secure non-slip base, which means it's a lot higher and doesn't irritate your back when bending over. The room it creates means you can slip a storage basket underneath for bin bags so they're never too far away.
Our review: "The Brabantia Bo Touch has been a total game-changer. The bin, which I chose in the platinum shade (dark grey), is wider than I would have ever considered but now it's in its rightful position it replaces any need for a separate food caddy or recycling bin. It's entirely up to you what you want to use each compartment for especially if you have a larger household you may need all three compartments for rubbish, but for a single household, this has made my kitchen life easier. I use small to medium-sized pedal bin bags which I usually only take out once a week. The touch top is extremely sensitive, so only a light tap to open it and a gentle push to close it is needed. It's a great investment, although it's a little tricky to clean inside the bin once the inner bins are removed however my vacuum does the job."
Pros
- Great for sorting rubbish
- Looks stylish and sleek
- Plastic, so no rusting
Cons
- Touch top is very sensitive
Best kitchen bin with sensor
On Sale
www.johnlewis.com
Style and technology are combined with this sensor bin by EKO DLX. Its Phantom Recycling Sensor Bin has as many bells and whistles as a rubbish bin can have and is at the higher end of the price scale. You get battery powered motion sensor for hands-free opening, but with manual opening also possible. The brushed stainless steel finish is also fingerprint-resistant, and the dual-opening lid with soft close hinges makes for gentle and quiet closing. Please be aware, though, this sensor bin requires six AA batteries to operate, and they are not included.
Customer review: "I really love this product. Looks excellent and is very hygienic as no need to touch the bin lid anymore either. Works well and easy to dispense into each section non recycle and recycled."
Pros
- Modern and sleek
- Standard bin bags fit nicely
- Compact despite capacity
Cons
- Some found it closed a little too soon for their liking
Best kitchen bin under the sink
www.wayfair.co.uk
Under-the-counter bins can be fitted in your kitchen quite easily, as long as you have a little bit of DIY knowledge. This Wesco Kontract 16L Bin is perfect for a small kitchen with under-the-sink space as it leaves more floor room. It is fitted on a sliding base unit, and when you open your cupboard door, pull the lip on the front by hand, and as the bin slides out, the lid will automatically open.
Customer review: "Perfect for a small kitchen. We don't have room to have a bin so this is perfect for a couple. We empty around twice a week which I would prefer because a smaller bin means less waste so not smelly. Perfect for a small cupboard."
Pros
- Easy to install
- Great for small kitchens
Cons
- Needs fitting
Best kitchen bin for families
www.johnlewis.com
This large 2 Section Recycling Bin, with Handles features two large compartments making it a fit for larger families. Despite the size, it is space-efficient and fits perfectly against a wall. It's available in cream, grey, blue and stainless steel.
Customer review: "I brought this bin in cream after comparing other bins of similar colour and size.
The price compared to other brands is amazing and when I received the bin it did not disappoint. It is a lovely shade of cream and a really good quality."
Pros
- Fits nicely despite larger size
- Sleek design
- Pedal mechanisms that work independently for each lid
Cons
- Inner buckets aren't particularly strong
Best kitchen bin for recycling
www.josephjoseph.com
Taking the vertical bin shape and separating it into two clever compartments, the Joseph Joseph Totem Max Bin is your answer to recycling more efficiently. It has three different compartments for recycling, food waste and general waste, all while keeping it compact and not taking up too much extra space. It also has integrated odour control with replaceable activated carbon filters and removable buckets with liner retaining holes and carrier bag hooks.
Our review: "This works great for a family household, the bin compartments are big enough that you wouldn't need to empty them every day and are nicely sorted for recycling when the tie comes to take out the rubbish. I would say you need to make sure you have a suitable space for the bin as it doesn't fit under a counter due to the lid on the top. However, it does work well being able to switch around the designated compartments, and works out cheaper only needing medium-sized bin bags rather than one large sack."
Pros
- Smaller footprint
- Good for large households
- Three compartments
- Stylish
Cons
- Bin lid doesn't always secure easily
Best kitchen bin with pedal
www.argos.co.uk
If you're looking for a bin on a budget, then Argos Home delivers with this simple, sleek matt white Round Kitchen Pedal bin, which also comes in matt grey. Just because it's more affordable doesn't mean it has to look unattractive, the pedal opening is sturdy, and the lid has a soft close, so no loud clanging. It also has a removable inner bucket, so it makes emptying the rubbish easy.
Customer review: "This is perfect for my kitchen. The matt finish blends in with my kitchen wall. Great pedal bin means hands and lid stay clean. Love that it is soft close as well. Excellent for the price."
Pros
- Removable inner bucket
- Easy-to-use pedal
- Good quality for the price
Cons
- Can dent easily
Best budget sensor bin
www.argos.co.uk
The Tower Sensor Kitchen Bin was the best, most affordable sensor bin we could find. With the sensor's silent lid mechanism, you can open the bin with a simple wave that closes after five seconds of inactivity. The removable lid is handy for bin liner changes, and if you're not a fan of the grey, it also comes available in black, cream, and silver at the same low price.
**Customer review: "**Bought this to replace a previous sensor bin (different brand) after the lid stopped operating properly. Perfect size and looks great, although the bin is metal the lid is plastic which I find easier to keep clean than my previous lid which was metal. The only thing is getting used to the sensor as this is located front-facing whereas my previous one was on top of the lid bit getting used to it now and it stays open long enough to scrape any leftovers into. Would recommend."
Pros
- Really affordable
- Straightforward to set up
- Easy to empty and clean
Cons
- The bin is a bit basic-looking
Best kitchen bin for small kitchens
With almost 17,000 reviews on Amazon with an average of 4.7 stars out of 5, there's a reason this Amazon Basics Trash Can is on our list. Also available in a variety of sizes to fit every room in your home, the pedal bin is ideal for small kitchens. Customers have rated it highly for how easy it is to clean, how sturdy and well-built it is, and that it is good value for a bin that looks more expensive than it is.
Customer review: "It will make you happy, looks good, pedal works fine, lid will stay open if you want, closes slowly so quiet, fits normal 50L bin bags, inner container comes out fine. It is metal and it doesn't leave finger marks if you put your hand on it. If you tuck the bag in well you wont see it etc.."
Pros
- Great value
- Bin bag is a secure fit
- Easy to clean
Cons
- Pedal mechanism not always responsive
Best kitchen bin with deodoriser compartment
www.johnlewis.com
The EKO X Cube Recycling Bin has a deodoriser compartment that can hold a carbon filter or perfume capsule to keep your bin smelling as fresh as possible. Alongside this, the bin has an anti-bacterial fingerprint-resistant coating and a bin bag stabiliser to hold your liners firmly in place. We also love that the two inner buckets are colour coded, which is great for reminding other members of the household to sort correctly. Available in cream (pictured), titanium blue, and stainless steel.
Customer review: "This bin has replaced our existing standard bin. Love that it's separated into two sections, one for recycling and another for non-recycling. It's a very sleek design and looks great in our kitchen. 40L is perfect for two people but would recommend getting the larger size for a family. The bin is definitely odourless and would highly recommend."
Pros
- Coloured bin for easy identification
- Deodorising compartment
- Quiet close
Cons
- Lid can be prone to denting
OUR VERDICT: Which Is The Best Kitchen Bin?
When considering which bin would be the best, the Brabantia Bo Touch Bin is a strong choice. It has enough compartments for a larger household but is equally suited to a smaller household looking to keep recycling separate. At a total of 60L, it has the capacity to store a lot of waste and will fit any kitchen colour scheme.
FAQs
Kitchen bins: what features to look for:
Capacity: If you want to avoid taking the kitchen bins out too regularly, you should look for a reasonable-sized bin to suit your household. A 30-40 litre bin is good for small households, a 40-50 litre bin is ideal for families of two to four, whilst a bin with a capacity of 50+ is best for larger households who produce a lot of kitchen waste.
Material: The most common materials for kitchen bins are plastic and stainless steel. Stainless steel is often the best material to look for in your kitchen bin – it's sturdy, sleek, fire-resistant, and easy to clean.
Design: If, like us, you're all about aesthetics, you'll want to look out for a bin that ticks all your boxes for style and functionality. Depending on the size and shape of your kitchen, you may prefer a rounded, square, or rectangular bin, whilst some come in different colours too. You might also prefer a bin that comes with separate internal bins for your recycling so you don't need a separate bin and can keep on top of your recycling in the kitchen.
What is the best type of kitchen bin?
The best type of kitchen bin does depend on personal preference, which is why we've included a variety of options for your household.
Some may prefer to keep things simple and opt for the traditional pedal bin but don't go straight for the cheapest basic pedal bin as you'll often find they will break quickly. That's why we'd recommend Amazon Basics Trash Can 50L, which has thousands of rave reviews.
If you're concerned about hygiene, then a pedal bin or sensor bin will be your best option, as there are zero touchpoints for dirty fingers that can breed germs. The bigger bins, with separate compartments, will also reduce the need for regular bin bag changes.
What is a good size bin for a kitchen?
Anything below 30L is considered a small kitchen bin. Estimate what your waste output is per day and per week, if you're one person or a couple, you may only need a 30L bin because you don't need to change your bin bag as often.
For households larger than three, we'd recommend opting for a 60L bin. You'd be surprised how quickly they can fill up, but it can be reduced if you're conscious about recycling. This will mean looking at bin options that have double compartments or triple compartments so you can separate recyclables, food waste and other waste in one go without the need for three separate bins.
Why does my bin smell?
Banish those nasty smells that emanate from your bins, especially after a warm day. As well as making sure your bin is regularly emptied, it's also important to regularly disinfect both your indoor and outdoor bins.
It's probably odd to think of cleaning the one spot where you throw away rubbish, but it's certainly a must to get rid of those smells and give you peace of mind that your kitchen and household bins are hygienically clean. Products like spray disinfectants and antibacterial wipes are ideal. We recommend Zoflora's Multipurpose Disinfectant Cleaner, which you can spray until a light coverage is achieved before wiping down to remove grease and grime. Then in between bin cleans, use Zoflora wipes in our favourite scent, Sweet Pea, to eliminate malodours and leave behind a beautiful fragrance.
Where should I keep my kitchen bin?
Where you keep your bin can really depend on the size and shape of your kitchen. However, it's recommended to keep your bin away from your fresh food, within reach of your food preparation area, and near other cleaning zones, such as your kitchen sink. If you have chosen a sensor bin, you may also need to consider placing your bin in an area where it can't be set off frequently.
Natalie Corner is the Commercial Content Editor across the Specialist Portfolio for Bauer Media. She specialises in all things coffee and tea related for A Modern Kitchen. When she's not hopped up on caffeine she's testing the latest space-saving hacks to organise her small kitchen.