Binners are Grinners: How to Set Up a Kitchen Rubbish System
Work out a tidy solution for your kitchen waste with these ideas, from products to placement and looks
A new bin is unlikely to be top of anyone’s dream-kitchen wish list, but rubbish needs to be dealt with, and it pays to think in advance about where you’re going to put it. If you’re planning a new kitchen from scratch, remember to factor in a bin at the design stage, whether it’s integrated into a drawer or you leave a dedicated spot for a standalone design.
Alternatively, if you’re fed up with where your current bin lives but are not planning a kitchen overhaul anytime soon, take a look at these ideas to see whether they could be adapted to suit your own rubbish requirements.
Alternatively, if you’re fed up with where your current bin lives but are not planning a kitchen overhaul anytime soon, take a look at these ideas to see whether they could be adapted to suit your own rubbish requirements.
Place it where you work
Rather than siting rubbish bins under the sink, this neat bin drawer pulls out from under the food preparation area, making it super-easy to sweep away peel and trimmings ready for recycling or composting.
This would be a time-efficient solution for keen cooks, as it minimises trips to the bin and also helps to keep the area tidy as you work.
Odour-Free Composting Made Easy
Rather than siting rubbish bins under the sink, this neat bin drawer pulls out from under the food preparation area, making it super-easy to sweep away peel and trimmings ready for recycling or composting.
This would be a time-efficient solution for keen cooks, as it minimises trips to the bin and also helps to keep the area tidy as you work.
Odour-Free Composting Made Easy
Minimise mess
People are increasingly putting greater emphasis on recycling and food-waste composting, so the need for one huge, hungry bin that eats everything is receding. A neat system such as this encourages frequent emptying into the main dustbin outside, and allows the overall look of the kitchen to remain bin-free.
In an existing kitchen design, check to see if any cupboards could be repurposed to house a system like this – perhaps crockery could be moved to open shelving, or pots and pans stored on a hanging rack to free up a cupboard.
People are increasingly putting greater emphasis on recycling and food-waste composting, so the need for one huge, hungry bin that eats everything is receding. A neat system such as this encourages frequent emptying into the main dustbin outside, and allows the overall look of the kitchen to remain bin-free.
In an existing kitchen design, check to see if any cupboards could be repurposed to house a system like this – perhaps crockery could be moved to open shelving, or pots and pans stored on a hanging rack to free up a cupboard.
Think sink
An existing drawer under a sink could easily be repurposed to house bins, as seen here.
This area can often become a magnet for clutter – multiple cleaning products that all do the same thing; garden tools that really should have made it back into the shed – so this idea not only offers a neat solution for bins, it encourages a more streamlined approach to under-sink storage too.
An existing drawer under a sink could easily be repurposed to house bins, as seen here.
This area can often become a magnet for clutter – multiple cleaning products that all do the same thing; garden tools that really should have made it back into the shed – so this idea not only offers a neat solution for bins, it encourages a more streamlined approach to under-sink storage too.
Lift the lid
It has to be said that a food waste caddy is not the most aesthetically pleasing item to have out on display, so how about stashing it out of sight in the cupboard under the sink? This nifty design has a simple chain attached to lift the lid when the cupboard door is opened. Smart.
See beautifully designed kitchens
It has to be said that a food waste caddy is not the most aesthetically pleasing item to have out on display, so how about stashing it out of sight in the cupboard under the sink? This nifty design has a simple chain attached to lift the lid when the cupboard door is opened. Smart.
See beautifully designed kitchens
Can the compost caddy
If you don’t have any space for a composting caddy in a cupboard, you could get a more aesthetically pleasing bin and leave it out on a benchtop instead. There are lots of smart designs available – such as this stainless-steel one – that won’t look out of place in your carefully coordinated kitchen.
If you don’t have any space for a composting caddy in a cupboard, you could get a more aesthetically pleasing bin and leave it out on a benchtop instead. There are lots of smart designs available – such as this stainless-steel one – that won’t look out of place in your carefully coordinated kitchen.
Fit the brief
No spare cupboard space to sacrifice to the rubbish gods? Never fear, there are plenty of stylish freestanding solutions around.
If you have no choice but to keep your bins on display, go for a style that reflects the look of the room, so it fits as part of the overall scheme. These vintage-style dustbins go well with the homey feel of this kitchen, and are tucked out of the way in a window recess.
No spare cupboard space to sacrifice to the rubbish gods? Never fear, there are plenty of stylish freestanding solutions around.
If you have no choice but to keep your bins on display, go for a style that reflects the look of the room, so it fits as part of the overall scheme. These vintage-style dustbins go well with the homey feel of this kitchen, and are tucked out of the way in a window recess.
Let it shine
A slick kitchen, on the other hand, demands a sleek bin. The rectangular shape of this model echoes the other stainless-steel appliances in the scheme, giving a streamlined look.
Having a foot-operated pedal to open the bin, as here, also means you don’t have to touch the lid each time you use it.
Kitchen Bin Wars: Standalone or Built-In?
A slick kitchen, on the other hand, demands a sleek bin. The rectangular shape of this model echoes the other stainless-steel appliances in the scheme, giving a streamlined look.
Having a foot-operated pedal to open the bin, as here, also means you don’t have to touch the lid each time you use it.
Kitchen Bin Wars: Standalone or Built-In?
Go for a colour
Another way to fit a standalone bin into your scheme is to make it a feature of the room. Step away from the usual stainless-steel designs and go for something colourful.
Choose a muted pastel with a matt finish to introduce a sophisticated accent shade, as here, or, if colour isn’t your thing, go for black or white as a more subtle alternative to stainless steel.
Tell us
How have you dealt with the rubbish in your kitchen? Share your ideas in the Comments below. And if you found this story helpful, like it, bookmark it, save the photos and share your thoughts below. Join the conversation.
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Read more stories that will help you get organised
Another way to fit a standalone bin into your scheme is to make it a feature of the room. Step away from the usual stainless-steel designs and go for something colourful.
Choose a muted pastel with a matt finish to introduce a sophisticated accent shade, as here, or, if colour isn’t your thing, go for black or white as a more subtle alternative to stainless steel.
Tell us
How have you dealt with the rubbish in your kitchen? Share your ideas in the Comments below. And if you found this story helpful, like it, bookmark it, save the photos and share your thoughts below. Join the conversation.
More
Read more stories that will help you get organised
With general rubbish, food waste and recycling to consider, giving over the whole area under the sink to a complete waste system makes sense in a busy home. The pull-out design makes it easy to access, and the separate units lift out, so they’re a doddle to empty.
A fully integrated design like this means there’s no need for any precious floor or benchtop space to be taken up with ugly rubbish caddies.