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10 best kitchen bins that aren’t a chore to empty
These are the most stylish ways to dispose of your food waste
Choosing a kitchen bin can be surprisingly tricky. Not only do you need a bin that looks right in your kitchen you’ll also want one that suits how you sort your waste and works in a way you find convenient.
First, think about the waste your household produces, and the shape and size of bins you’ll need to store that waste. Your bin(s) should be able to store waste for a decent amount of time, before getting full.
UK households have got better at recycling over the years, especially when it comes to sorting. Where once we threw everything into the same bin, it’s now the done thing to separate landfill-bound waste from recyclables and – sometimes – compostables.
Kitchen bin design has evolved to meet the growing need for eco-friendly sorting. Alongside single-compartment bins, which are still great for collecting specific types of waste, we now have multi-compartment or interlocking bins for separating things out. These provide neat ways to organise waste in a logical, uniform system. Even in a lively kitchen, it’s good to have your waste tidy.
Needless to say, hygiene has been of heightened importance for many since the spring of 2020. Some kitchen bins are now meeting the demand for reduced physical contact with sensor- or voice-activated lids. Of course, there are still plenty of bins that use the classic opening methods we’re all familiar with: push flaps, pedals and touch-operated mechanisms. You’ll open your bin often, so choose an opening method that suits you.
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How we tested
The kitchen bins featured in this roundup were tested in our reviewer’s kitchen over several days. The bins were used in everyday ways: for collecting waste (and recycling where relevant), and being opened, closed, cleaned, emptied and fitted with bin bags. Sometimes, we used the bins while cooking, to test their suitability for busier moments. We were looking for ease of use, style and efficient storage.
The best kitchen bins for 2022 are:
- Best overall – Eko deluxe phantom kitchen bin 20l + 20l: £189.99, Ekohome.co.uk
- Best style – Brabantia bo touch bin: £154.07, Amazon.co.uk
- Best high tech – Simplehuman ST2015 58l dual compartment rectangular sensor bin: £299.95, Amazon.co.uk
- Best reasonably priced – Eko morandi touch 30l: £44.99, Ekohome.co.uk
- Best pedal-operated opening – Simplehuman CW1810 30l round kitchen pedal bin: £89.95, Amazon.co.uk
- Best retro style – Wesco pushboy junior: £95, Wesco-shop.co.uk
- Best eco-friendly option – Orthex smartstore collect 48l white with lid: £40, Johnlewis.com
- Best for blending in – Songmics stainless steel 30l step on rubbish bin: £62.79, Wayfair.co.uk
- Best high-capacity sensor bin – VonHaus 70l recycling sensor bin: £99.99, Ebay.co.uk
- Best compost caddy – Simplehuman CW1645 4l compost caddy: £49.95, Amazon.co.uk
Eko deluxe phantom kitchen bin 20l + 20l
Best: Overall
Rating: 10/10
Opening: Sensor, button
Capacity: 20l + 20l
Materials: Stainless steel, plastic inner bucket
Colour: Silver
Dimensions: H66 x W27 x D46cm
Efficient, easy-to-use and featuring a silky smooth motion-sensor lid opening, the Deluxe Phantom Kitchen Bin 20l + 20l is the pinnacle of contemporary kitchen bin design.
We found this bin an absolute joy to use during testing. The two colour-coded waste buckets inside the bin are easy to remove, empty and keep clean. And better still, the outside of the bin is made with fingerprint-resistant stainless steel. The bin’s opening sensor is highly responsive, opening the lid flaps for five-second intervals. If you need the lid to be open for longer, you can simply use the manual open and close buttons built into the lid.
The only households where this bin might not fit so well are those with lots of people because the Deluxe Phantom’s 20l buckets can fill quite quickly on days when you’re going through a lot of waste.
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Brabantia bo touch bin (red, 11l + 23l)
Best: Style
Rating: 9/10
Opening: Touch
Capacity: 34l (11l + 23l)
Materials: Mineral-coated plastic
Colours: Red, white, gold, platinum, black, steel, grey, green, beige, blue, brown
Dimensions: L31.2 x W54 x H68cm
We’d be chuffed to have this chic bin out on display in our kitchens.
Part of what helps the Bo Touch stand out (and, indeed, to stand) is its four-legged design. We think the legs look great, but it’s worth considering that they do give the bin a fairly low capacity relative to its footprint.
The boxy design of the Bo Touch fits nicely into a variety of spaces. Every detail feels well executed, from the glossy finish on the body of the bin to the satisfyingly smooth action of the lid closure.
With two compartments, this version of the Bo Touch is ideal for separating different types of waste – eg organic food waste and non-recyclables for landfill. There are lots of alternative colours and configurations available via the shopping link.
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Simplehuman ST2015 58l dual compartment rectangular sensor bin
Best: High-tech kitchen bin
Rating: 9/10
Opening: Sensor, voice
Capacity: 58l (34l + 24l)
Materials: Stainless steel
Colours: Silver
Dimensions: L33 x W56.4 x H63.5cm
Other kitchen bins dream of growing up to be a simplehuman ST2015 sensor bin.
This remarkably high-tech, two-compartment bin opens and closes via voice command and motion sensing. Using the bin is a superlatively smooth experience. Even when your hands are full, you can open the lid with a two-word command.
There’s much else that’s clever about this bin. We were particularly impressed with the in-built binbag pocket, which you can use to dispense new bin bags into the waste section of the bin.
The ST2015 is arguably better (and costlier) than a kitchen bin needs to be, but if you’re looking for the best quality product you can get, this bin would be our recommendation.
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Eko morandi touch 30l
Best: Reasonably priced kitchen bin
Rating: 9/10
Opening: Touch
Capacity: 30l
Materials: Plastic
Colours: Blue, grey
Dimensions: H57 x W21 x D33cm
Friendly, functional and expertly designed, the Eko Morandi Touch is an excellent kitchen bin that won’t break the bank.
Available in two colours and three sizes, this bin is designed to interlock with other bins of the same type to help you separate types of waste and recyclables. It with a sheet of stickers for plastic, paper, glass, etc that you can use to label your Morandi Touch.
We found this bin to be exceptionally pleasant to use. The touch opening mechanism is smooth to the point of balletic, while the waste buckets are easy to take apart and wipe clean.
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Simplehuman CW1810 30l round kitchen pedal bin
Best: Pedal-operated opening
Rating: 9/10
Opening: Pedal
Capacity: 30l
Materials: Stainless steel
Colours: Silver
Dimensions: L38.4 x W31.5 x H65cm
Stylish and straightforward, the CW1810 is ideal for households who cherish high quality.
This bin has the best pedal opening mechanism we’ve come across, combining high responsiveness to pressure with whisper-quiet soft closing. The wide, circular aperture of the bin is perfectly sized to accommodate whatever household waste you can throw at it, and its 30l capacity means the bin should go for plenty of time without requiring emptying, at least for small or medium-sized households.
Another plus point is cleanliness: made with fingerprint-resistant metal, the CW1810 was still looking immaculate after several days of testing in our kitchen.
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Wesco pushboy junior
Best: Retro-style
Rating: 8/10
Opening: Push
Capacity: 22l
Materials: Sheet steel, stainless steel, galvanised metal
Colours: White, red, silver, lime green, almond, mint, pink, black, cool grey
Dimensions: H63 x W36.5 x D36.5cm (approx.)
Bins don’t get more beautiful than this. Born of Wesco’s 100-plus years of expertise in making household items from sheet metal, the Pushboy Junior is perfect in form and classic in style. It looks like the sort of bin The B-52s might have had in the Love Shack.
The 22l bin comprises two parts: an inner bucket that holds the waste and an outer shell that sits on top. The outer shell has handles on the sides, which can be used to lift it off without leaving messy fingermarks on the powder-coated body of the shell.
One thing to bear in mind about classic push bins like this one is that during use, one of your hands will be occupied with pushing the flap, which can make it tricky to do messy tasks like scraping food waste into the bin. For this reason, we recommend this type of bin for people who need a solution for recycling or non-organic general waste.
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Orthex smartStore collect 48l white with lid
Best: Eco-friendly option
Rating: 8/10
Opening: Manual lid
Capacity: 48l
Materials: Recycled plastic
Colours: White
Dimensions: D34 x W34 x H58.5cm
Simple, user-friendly design is the order of the day with the SmartStore Collect bin from Finnish brand Orthex.
The SmartStore Collect is one of the most space-efficient bins we’ve tested, providing ample room for all sorts of kitchen waste or recycling within its roughly-cuboidal bucket. But arguably the best feature is the bin’s light-coloured birch lid, which adds a lovely slice of natural material to the kitchen. On top of all that, the SmartStore Collect is one of the most eco-friendly bins we’ve encountered, with a bucket made entirely of recycled plastic.
If you do buy this bin, take care to buy well-fitting bags. The lid’s design doesn’t provide many ways to tuck away untidy bin liner excess. We found the bin was easiest to use by totally removing the lid during meal prep and other busy times, then putting it back in place afterwards.
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Songmics stainless steel 30l step on rubbish bin
Best: For blending in
Rating: 8/10
Opening: Pedal
Capacity: 30l
Materials: Stainless steel
Colours: Smoky grey, black, silver, white
Dimensions: H63 x W35 x D23.8cm
The smoky-grey Step On Rubbish Bin from Songmics makes a smart, subtle addition to the kitchen. Where some bin designs stand out, this one blends in, with soft edges and muted colours.
We found that this bin’s tall profile means efficient storage relative to its footprint. Just bear in mind that it might be too tall to keep underneath a worktop.
Opening the bin with the pedal mechanism is a cinch. This makes it an ideal solution for people who prefer not to touch their bin lid and don’t wish to buy a sensor- or voice-activated alternative.
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VonHaus 70l recycling sensor bin
Best: High-capacity sensor bin
Rating: 8/10
Opening: Sensor, button
Capacity: 70l (35l + 35l)
Materials: Stainless steel, plastic
Colours: Steel
Dimensions: H67cm x W53cm x D33cm
With two 35l buckets, the VonHaus 70l Recycling Sensor Bin is the ideal high-capacity solution for separating different types of waste.
In our reviewer’s two-person household, this bin needed emptying far less often than other two-compartment bins. Not only is there lots of room inside, but the buckets are also conveniently shaped to handle most types of household waste. The infrared opening sensor worked perfectly, and it was nice to know the lid has open and close buttons as a backup.
It’s worth noting that the electronics run off three D-type 4.5V batteries, a relatively uncommon, barrel-shaped type that you might need to buy specially for the bin.
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Simplehuman CW1645 4l compost caddy
Best: Compost caddy
Rating: 8/10
Opening: Manual lid
Capacity: 4l
Materials: Stainless steel
Colours: Silver
Dimensions: W24.5 x D14.5 x H21.6cm
The simplehuman Compost Caddy may be disarmingly cute, but it’s also seriously useful.
This tiny 4l bin is designed to store organic waste, ready for composting. It can be used either as a standalone bin – in which case you can use it on a worktop or elevate it off the floor with a stool – or as a clip-on companion to certain other bins from the simplehuman range.
We were particularly impressed with how this caddy connects to the simplehuman ST2015 Rectangular Sensor Bin. Using a plastic dock at the rear of the caddy, we clipped it snugly onto the larger waste/recycling bin.
However it’s used, the Compost Caddy does a great job of storing organic waste and keeping the smells of composting matter under control.
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The verdict: Kitchen bins
Combining sleek, contemporary style with a fantastically user-friendly, sensor-activated lid, the Eko Deluxe Phantom is our very favourite kitchen bin. Sure, it’s an investment, but this bin could make it easier to sort your waste and recycling for many years to come.
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For the latest discounts on kitchen bins and other home appliance offers, try the links below:
For more home favourites, read our round-up of the best juicers for squeezing in your five a day
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