The 4 Finest Kitchen Trash Cans of 2025, Examined & Reviewed

Ah, the trash can: a receptacle for refuse, a container for scraps of all types. Until your trash can is overtly smelly, you may not give it some thought too usually. However think about in case your trash can conjured up optimistic, non-putrid ideas—ones of odor management, a smooth-opening lid, and an exterior that wasn’t an eyesore. 

That’s what we needed and got down to discover once we examined 9 kitchen trash cans. We landed on 4 high picks. Not solely did they work rather well, however we’d fortunately show any of them in our kitchens.

The Winners, at a Look

This pedal-operated stainless-steel trash can has a lid that opens and closes silently. The lid can be locked, permitting it to remain open for nevertheless lengthy you want it to. In our exams, it was very efficient at containing odors—solely once we have been proper subsequent to it might we detect a faint whiff of the air freshener. We preferred that its inside bin will be eliminated for deeper cleansing. Whereas it does name for simplehuman’s J liners, we discovered it labored superb with store-bought baggage.

Just like the simplehuman, this trash can has a detachable inside bin. This additionally makes it simpler so as to add and take away trash baggage. Its lid sprung upwards, but it surely includes a soft-close mechanism we preferred. Whereas its odor management wasn’t nearly as good as our general winner, it nonetheless did nicely.

This light-weight trash can has a foot pedal and a lid that locks closed (if you happen to’ve ever had a rambunctious pup get into your trash can, you understand how useful this may be). We discovered the lid constantly opened and closed easily—and we did so dozens of occasions all through testing.

In order for you a trash can you possibly can wave a hand over and have it open, the iTouchless will serve you nicely. It has an computerized mode and a guide one—and it’s battery-operated. We preferred its inside ring that saved trash baggage in place and whereas it didn’t do as nicely in our odor retention check, it provides good options for its worth. 

The Assessments

• Bag Match Take a look at: We positioned an ordinary, 13-gallon trash bag into every trash can, evaluating its match. We tugged across the perimeter of the trash bag to see if it might keep in place.
• Sturdiness Take a look at: To see if the trash cans would simply dent, we gently kicked every mannequin 5 occasions close to its base. We then ran a vacuum into every trash can, as if we have been cleansing and by accident hit it. 
• Lid Take a look at: We opened and closed every trash can’s lid 25 occasions. 
• Odor Management Take a look at: We positioned a potent air freshener into every trash can and left it by itself in a closed, small room for twenty-four hours—checking for smelliness halfway by means of and on the finish of this time interval. 

What We Discovered

Steel Trash Cans Have been Higher with Smells (However Solely If They Had Tight Lids)

Stainless-steel is denser and fewer porous than plastic, so it is sensible the metallic fashions topped our odor retention check. (Word: Our favourite compost bin can be made from stainless-steel.) After we walked into the room our simplehuman winner was in after 24 hours with an air freshener inside it, we couldn’t detect a odor. The AmazonBasics (which was made from alloy metal) did nicely on this check too, although we observed extra of a scent behind the trash can, due to a slight hole on the lid’s hinge. As compared, the simplehuman plastic and Rubbermaid fashions emitted noticeable odors. Nonetheless, they have been much better than the Umbra Venti Swing-Prime Kitchen Trash Can, which featured a niche round its swing-top mechanism that mercilessly launched smells. 

Hinged vs. Swing-Prime Trash Cans 

Given the above findings, it ought to come as no shock that we favored hinged lids that shut over ones with swing tops. (The latter had cowl openings that see-sawed backwards and forwards.) Whereas we’re speaking trash right here, swing-top fashions have one other concern: sanitization. With hinged—and, after all, touchless—lids you possibly can open them with out concern over messy fingers and having to the touch the lid, getting it gunky. Swing-top lids must be touched with each use. 

Pedals Shouldn’t Want A lot Stress

We most popular trash cans with pedals that wanted simply slight stress to function—and lids that opened at a constant velocity. For instance, the Glad Stainless Metal Step Trash Can’s lid typically jolted open and different occasions did so easily—all with out us altering the stress we utilized on the pedal. 

Which Trash Cans Have been the Most Sturdy?

Fortunately, the entire trash cans we examined have been in a position to face up to our kicking and vacuum-ramming sturdiness exams with nary a dent. By this check, we discovered we most popular wider trash cans for the easy cause that they have been much less more likely to tip over. After we knocked our vacuum into the Umbra—with its spherical, smaller base—it wobbled dramatically.

The Standards: What to Search for in a Kitchen Trash Can

The most effective trash cans retained odors nicely, with tight-fitting lids that trapped smells. We most popular hinged lids that we weren’t required to the touch to open and responsive pedals. Trash cans needs to be steady, too, and never be capable of be knocked over simply. 

Our Favourite Trash Cans

What we preferred: This trash can did the very best in our odor management check—and had a pedal that opened its lid easily and slowly each time. The lid will be locked upright too, and it by no means slammed upwards and again into the wall behind it. The simplehuman options an inside bin that may be eliminated for sanitization and makes it simpler so as to add and take away trash baggage. Whereas it does take the model’s customized J liners, an ordinary, storebought trash bag match simply superb in our exams. This trash can comes with a whopping 10-year guarantee—and, in our expertise, simplehuman has nice customer support. 

What we didn’t like: We have now no complaints. 

Key Specs

• Supplies: Stainless-steel
• Dimensions: 15.8 x 12.5 x 25.7 inches
• Acknowledged capability: 10 gallons
• Weight: 14.52 kilos

What we preferred: With a detachable inside liner (just like the simplehuman), a soft-close lid mechanism, and a responsive foot pedal, we have been impressed by the Amazon Fundamentals providing. Its lid did spring open extra, but it surely was constant in doing so. It had an inside lip that saved trash baggage in place and didn’t dent in our sturdiness exams.  

What we didn’t like: Whereas this trash can did nicely in our odor retention check, we observed extra of a odor in the back of the can. There was a niche between the trash can and its lid’s hinge we attributed this to.

 Key Specs

• Supplies: Alloy metal
• Dimensions: 14.7 x 16.7 x 25.9 inches 
• Acknowledged capability: 13.2 gallons
• Weight: 13.21 kilos 

What we preferred: In order for you a plastic trash can that’s half the worth of our winner, the simplehuman did nicely in our exams. It has a properly sensitive foot pedal, a lock, and a lid that opens and closes easily each time. As a result of it’s comprised of plastic however has a large base, there’s little fear about it denting or tipping over. Like its stainless-steel sibling, it takes customized liners however match a store-bought bag superb in our exams. 

What we didn’t like: It lacks a detachable liner and has extra nooks and crannies that gunk might construct up in.

Key Specs

• Supplies: Plastic
• Dimensions: 18.7 x 14.4 x 26.2 inches
• Acknowledged capability: 50 liters (13 gallons)
• Weight: 7 kilos

What we preferred: This trash can has a battery-powered sensor you possibly can wave a hand over and the lid will open. That stated, it can be toggled to guide mode. We have been impressed that the lid opened seamlessly each time and located its inside ring saved trash baggage in place impressively nicely.

What we didn’t like: It did passably within the odor retention check—possible as a result of two gaps on both facet of the lid that exist so that you can open it in guide mode. Tall of us may need to hunch over to wave and activate the sensor. 

Key Specs

• Supplies: Stainless-steel
• Dimensions: 16 x 11.4 x 25.3 inches
• Acknowledged capability: 13 gallons
• Weight: 7.5 kilos

The Competitors 

FAQs

What number of gallons is a kitchen trash can? 

Many of the trash cans we examined have been between 10 and 13 gallons, which is an efficient measurement. It could serve a family of two to 4 nicely and certain have to be emptied each one to 2 days. 

Is a chrome steel trash can price it?

Sure, we do suppose a chrome steel trash can is price it—and our high choose from simplehuman is comprised of this materials. Not solely does it look modern, but it surely did the very best in our odor management check. 

Why We’re the Specialists

• Riddley Gemperlein-Schirm is the affiliate editorial director of Critical Eats. 
• She’s been with the location since 2021 and beforehand labored for America’s Take a look at Kitchen and Food52. She’s been testing gear professionally for greater than six years and has written evaluations of dinnerware units, espresso machines, and extra. 
• To seek out the very best trash cans, we examined 9 of them and evaluated their odor retention, lid design, trash bag match, sturdiness and extra.