When you think about fitting out a kitchen, it’s very easy to get caught up on the major appliances and fittings. Sure, there are the essentials like ovens, microwaves, cupboards, coffee makers (you can’t argue it’s true!), but there are the overlooked essentials – things that get everyday use but are perhaps owed just as much thought in terms of purpose as anything else.

The humble kitchen bin may not seem like it needs a great deal of decision making, but all that’s needed is a quick look at the selection available to see that bins have come a surprisingly long way. That’s where our list of the best kitchen bins comes in, to show you the best out there from high-tech to traditional.

1. Brabantia newIcon Pedal Bin

If simplicity and style is what you’re going for in your kitchen, then Brabantia’s newIcon might be what you need. The brand’s reputation for quality homewares shows here, with great attention to detail paid despite the simple function. The bin comes in a massive 15 different colours which compliment the subtle shape of the bin without being ostentatious, sure to slot neatly in alongside any kitchen décor.

A sturdy black plastic foot pedal complements the steel outer casing, with a matching plastic inner bucket. The bucket is also removable for straightforward waste disposal, and at 30 litres, will comfortably carry you from one bin day to the next with ease. Brabantia also offer a 10-year manufacturer’s warranty, making this a good investment in quality.

2. Curver One Touch Deco Bin

Curver’s touch opening Deco bin comes in 4 different stylish colours, all of which are metal effect but actually made from hardwearing plastic. This keeps both the weight and the overall price down, representing a smart looking bin at a low investment. Curver also claim that the finish is dust and fingerprint proof, meaning it looks newer for longer.

The touch open feature allows for opening and closing with one light button press, and a generous 40 litre internal capacity provides ample room for rubbish, and the removable bucket makes it easy to empty. One other useful feature is the bin liner holder which neatly keeps everything in place.

3. simplehuman Rectangular Step Trash Can

While you may balk a little at the price, rest assured that simplehuman’s Rectangular Step bin is a serious investment in quality. The brand has built itself on offering quality and style, with this particular model coming in 5 different classy finishes (pictured: Rose Gold Steel). To try and prove the build quality, this bin’s wide stainless-steel step has been tested to survive around 20 uses per day for 20 years and comes with a 10-year warranty on top.

This particular bin comes in a 45 litre volume, with a few extra neat design features. For instance, it features an internal bin bag dispenser, a stainless-steel bin liner holder, an internal hinge to protect the lid from walls, and a soft-closing lid.

4. VonHaus Recycling Sensor Bin

The Recycling Sensor bin by VonHaus is a dual compartment offering from the brand, with two 35 litre buckets designated for both rubbish and recycling. It also integrates a surprising amount of useful technology into the package, set off by the D battery powered infrared sensor that allows for hands free, hygienic opening and closing. The bin is also made from stainless steel and ABS plastic for durability and comes in several different finishes to match your kitchen aesthetic.

The 2 internal buckets are kept in place by a removable liner rind, and the lid is also removable for easier waste disposal. The stickers are also supplied separately in the package, allowing you to allocate compartments as you like.

5. 1home Stainless Steel Touchless Dustbin

This kitchen bin from 1home comes with an infrared touch-free sensor, which also features a soft-close feature for hygienic, and notably quiet, handsfree use. Adding to this, a manual override function allows you to keep the lid open for longer should you need it if you’ve got a lot of rubbish to dispose of. It also comes in a brushed stainless-steel finish, which wipes clean, resists fingerprint smudging and always adds a stylish touch.

A large internal capacity of 50 litres provides ample room for rubbish, meaning fewer trips to empty it out – when that is needed, both the lid and an internal liner retaining ring are removable for easy disposal. All in all, a good value option for an handsfree kitchen bin.

6. NETTA Stainless Steel Sensor Bin

The smart looking brushed stainless-steel outer casing of NETTA’s infrared sensor kitchen bin houses a generous internal volume, paired with good features at a decent value cost. The sensor allows for handsfree opening and closing, brilliant for hygiene, and is economical requiring longer-lasting C batteries that require less frequent replacement.

With a 50-litre internal volume, the outer casing of the bin is made from durable commercial grade stainless-steel and features a non-slip base making it suitable for any floor type. A removable bin bag liner keeps the bag in place, while both that and the lid are removable for easy disposal. They also form an odour-tight seal.

7. Swan Retro Square Sensor Bin

The 7 different colours of Swan’s Retro Sensor bin are sure to give you an option that fits your kitchen’s colour scheme with ease. Despite a minimalist, vintage aesthetic it packs in a modern infrared sensor, giving you a more hygienic handsfree open/close mechanism, which will close automatically. It does also feature a manual open/close button for added versatility.

The 45-litre internal volume is housed inside a super-tough colour coated iron body, which is easy to clean as well as being durable. Powered by AA batteries, it also features a strong plastic retainer ring to keep the bin bag in place, which is removable as well as the lid. The lid’s internal hinge is also hidden, reducing the risk of bumping walls.

8. Addis Pedal Bin

Addis’ budget friendly pedal bin offers a no-frills quality package that is both smart and well-constructed. Keeping good hygienic standards thanks to a wide foot pedal, allowing handsfree opening/closing, it’s also made of a hardwearing plastic that is strong and easy to clean, and is also available in a handful of colours to match your kitchen décor.

The family-sized 50 litres of internal volume are aided by an extra wide opening making spills less likely. Ultimately, with Addis’ renowned brand quality, this is a good functional bin that performs a straightforward task without fuss.

9. SONGMICS Recycle Pedal Bin

This dual compartment kitchen bin by Songmics features a two-part recycling and waste compartment to quickly separate what you throw away. Finished in a smart, wipe-clean brushed stainless-steel, the metal outer is combined with a black plastic lid, removable internal buckets and a non-slip base. There are also two separate pedals, finished in stainless-steel, which increase the effectiveness of keeping odours contained as well as offering a more hygienic handsfree operation.

The two compartments come in at 24 litres each and have individual handles to make them easier to empty. A discreet handle on the bin’s rear side also makes it easier to move around.

10. Mari Home Triple Waste Bin

Mari Home have taken aim at making rubbish easier to sort with their large design triple waste bin. With three 18-litre compartments, totalling in at 54 litres, each is colour-coded around the foot pedal to provide an unobtrusive and stylish sorting solution. These segments, with yellow for waste, green for recycling and red for glass, offset the simple and sophisticated stainless-steel finish, which additionally resists dust and fingerprints to be wiped clean.

Each compartment is individually sealed and operates via a stainless-steel foot pedal, ensuring odours are kept in as well as a more hygienic handsfree operation. The removable buckets also make waste disposal much easier.

11. Bentley Home Retro Steel Pedal Bin

Pairing retro chic with modern functionality and build quality, the Bentley Retro pedal bin offers a splash of colour with traditional stylings. The outer body is made from a tough powder coated steel, which wipes clean thanks to its durable finish. Two metal handles on the sides also aid easy lifting of the entire unit, while the inner plastic bucket has a separate handle for easy disposal.

The side handles, lid handle and foot pedal are all finished in brushed stainless-steel silver, adding to the retro vibe while simultaneously keeping the quality high. An internal volume of 30 litres should also be sufficient for most households.

Which Kitchen Bin to Go for?

Best quality & features – simplehuman’s Rectangular Step Trash Can is the cream of the crop when it comes to kitchen bins. While it is expensive, it has some well-thought-out features that justify the cost somewhat. While not a sensor bin, the foot pedal is broad and well-made, and the mechanisms are sturdy throughout. The range of colours is good too and having an internal bag dispenser is more useful than you’d think – saves the inevitable “where are the bin bags?” hunt around the kitchen. Plus, with an overall smart design and gorgeous finish, it’s hard to go wrong.

On a budget – Addis’ Pedal Bin is a low-cost, good quality investment. Maybe you’re moving house, which is already an expensive process. So many houses are unfurnished these days, so shelling out for an expensive bin is maybe something you can’t manage, but you don’t want to go full student and hang an extra-large plastic carrier bag from a door handle. That’s where the Addis shines – it’s simple, doesn’t cost much, but works well and has the added hygiene bonus with the foot pedal.

The best for colour-matching – With 15 different colour options, the Brabantia newIcon is the obvious choice for making the kitchen bin just as much of an accessory as anything else. Obviously it’s very subjective, and is also subject to your kitchen décor, but the Moss Green or Metallic Mint are gorgeous.

Most hygienic – The VonHaus Recycling Sensor bin is the best for the hygienic approach. For one, it has the infrared sensor for contact-free opening. But additionally, the stainless-steel body is wipe clean, so maintenance is easy, and the lid seals in odours from both compartments. Bag retaining rings also make sure there’s no risk of the bags slipping, leading rubbish to get between the bag and the bin interior.

Most recycling-conscious – By merit of sheer options, the Mari Home Triple Waste Bin is your best option if you’re putting a lot of thought into your wastage footprint. The three compartments give you that extra bit of choice in terms of waste and recycling, whether it’s waste, glass and recycling, or separating your recycling into plastics and cardboard/paper. However you do it, this is your best choice for responsible waste and recycling.

Kitchen Bin Buying Guide

Kitchen bins come in so many shapes, sizes, colours nowadays, and with a large amount of technology behind them (who’d have thought bins could be so high-tech?), it can be confusing to know where to start! You need to be aware of how big a bin you need, but also sure of what kind of bin is right for you in terms of both form and function.

That’s where our buying guide comes in. Breaking down the jargon, the key considerations you’ll need to make before shopping for a bin are below, so that you can be absolutely sure you’ve bought precisely what you need.

Size

Size is one of the main considerations to make, for several reasons. You’ve got to first consider how much rubbish you normally produce in your household, but also how frequently you want to be emptying it! In the UK, a lot of councils now empty bins every 2 weeks, so you want something that balances the amount of waste you produce without you needing to take a trip to the wheelie bin every other day.

Considering the space you have in your kitchen is another size-related consideration – you might be aiming to recycle more with a double or triple bin, but simply lack the kitchen space for one large bin, and might be better off with several smaller ones.

Usage and Recycling

Following on from the previous point, bins quite frequently have multiple compartments as recycling and reducing waste become ever more popular and important. While many kitchen bins have dual compartments, ostensibly for regular waste and recycling, others come with 3 compartments. Typically, these will be for waste, recycling and glass, but it’s up to you how you divide these, and whether you go for one large bin or multiple smaller ones for the different purposes.

Style

Even for a kitchen bin, considering how it looks can be make or break in some kitchens. After all, if you spend lots of time in the kitchen, and as such invest a lot of time, effort and money in colour-coordinating utensils, crockery and appliances etc, then the bin shouldn’t be something you neglect. It can be the difference between neat integration and a bit of an eyesore.

Ease of emptying

Although a simple premise, it’s still something worth thinking about – some bins will have internal caddies that can be removed, while on others (usually the cheaper models) you’ll have to remove the bin bag directly. This can also be aided in some cases by the presence of retaining rings or liners, which sit around the rim of the bin and keep bags in place.

Operation

Bins, by their very nature, are not always the most pleasant of things to touch. They deal with waste after all. So, while the cheapest bins on the market are simple top-opening affairs, many pedal bins offer a more hygienic solution with no hands required. The next level to this is a bin with an infrared sensor with auto open/close functions – you can’t get more hygienic than that! The trade-off, of course, is that sensor bins will cost more.

While it may be easy to write off bins as something that doesn’t require a great deal of thought, our guide here shows that while there’s a surprising amount to think about, making a decision shouldn’t be too hard. So, with responsible waste disposal at the forefront of many discussions nowadays, start as you mean to go on with the right choice of kitchen bin.