Last Updated on January 10, 2023
Have you ever asked yourself, ‘what size kitchen bin do I need?’ It’s more of an essential question than most people realize. After all, the kitchen is one of the home’s most important rooms. It’s where you and your loved ones gather to chat over meals and cook delicious food. However, you can’t accomplish much in your kitchen if you don’t have the right resources.
A kitchen bin might not be the most exciting product in your kitchen, but it does ensure you can keep the environment clean and hygienic when you’re cooking. Unfortunately, many of us struggle with figuring out what size of kitchen bin we should be using.
Let’s look at how you can choose the right size of your kitchen bin.
What Size Bin Is Good for Kitchens?
Kitchen bins are measured in litres. Their sizes can be between 4 litres to 120 litres, depending on how much waste you need to get rid of.
The exact size bin that will work best in your kitchen will depend on several factors. Below are the most common bin sizes to consider for your kitchen.
Large Bins
Usually more than 60 litres, a large bin will allow you to store more waste in a busy family home, so you don’t need to empty your kitchen bin into the wheelie bin constantly. A larger bin will hold larger trash bags, but they can cause an unwanted smell if you don’t empty your general waste often enough.
Midsized Bins
Often between 30 litres and 50 litres, the medium bin size is intended more for smaller households without a great deal of excess waste. If you don’t have a large family throwing away lots of food and other substances, the right bin for you might be a little smaller. These mid-sized bins also won’t take up too much space in the kitchen.
Smaller or Hidden Bins
Anything below 30 litres is usually considered small when it comes to bin sizes. A small waste bin is usually a good option for small households and smaller families. Small kitchen bins fit into a compact space and have less bad odours than a larger kitchen bin if you’re not emptying them often.
What Is the Best Type of Bin to Use in a Kitchen?
The right bin size for your needs doesn’t just depend on how many litres you need. You’ll also need to think about the kind of kitchen bin you want. For instance, if you’re invested in recycling, you might want a bin with two compartments to help you sort your rubbish into the right bags for recycling and general waste.
You can separate most household waste into different compartments, which may mean you need different kitchen bin sizes for different kinds of waste, like plastic or compost. If you’re going to be using a separate bag and bin for different kinds of rubbish, keep this in mind.
You’ll also need to think about the right kitchen bin if you want something built into your kitchen cabinets. If you have a small home, a bin you can hide in your kitchen cabinets can help keep rubbish out of sight and out of your space when you’re cooking. This is usually an option for smaller households.
Other points to consider include the features of the right bin. Some devices come with features like a fingerprint-proof coating to help them look their best for longer and a hygiene sensor, so you don’t have to touch your bin. Watch out for our buying guides to help you make the right choice for your household.
What Is the Right Size Bin for You?
The right size bin will depend on many factors, including how your household will fill the bin and how often you’re going to be emptying the bags within. While you might have a specific vital aspect to focus on when choosing your bin, here are a few things to consider when comparing kitchen bin sizes.
Floor Space
Limited floor space means you’ll be limited to the bin sizes you can choose. A huge kitchen bin capacity is no good if you can only fit a food waste caddy into your kitchen. Measure the space for a bin in your kitchen to determine whether smaller bins or larger bins are more suited to your space.
Recycling Options
Most councils will require you to split your waste into separate containers and bags for recycling and general waste. With that in mind, your household may need to consider getting different bins for recycling and other waste. If you’re going to need to use multiple bins, you’ll have even less space to work within your kitchen.
Alternatively, a large size kitchen bin could have two separate space compartments. If you’re doing a lot of recycling, you might want to switch your single recycling bin for multiple recycling bins with different purposes.
Household Size
Many councils will only empty your waste and recycling bins so often. Making sure you have the correct size bin should ensure your household doesn’t have to work around leftover bags of trash and waste when you can’t find space in your wheelie bin. A larger kitchen bin ensures you can keep food and bin bags out of the way and preserve more of your floor space.
Features
The features of your bin can impact its size. For instance, a food waste caddy is usually designed with no bonus features. However, stainless steel kitchen bins can help you separate your plastic bottles and separate waste for your wheelie bins with different compartments. Some devices even come with sensors for activation.
Choosing Your Kitchen Bin
So the answer to ‘what size kitchen bin do I need’ is that there’s no one-size-fits-all strategy for choosing a kitchen bin. However, finding the correct bin the first time around comes with many benefits, including a cleaner kitchen environment.
Make sure you think carefully about your options, from a built-in bin to stand-alone kitchen bins with separate compartments for waste and recycling.
Rebekah is a writer who loves to explore new products and find hacks that make life easier. She has a knack for all things home improvement, health and fitness. So you’ll often find her on Pinterest or browsing Houzz for ideas.
She’s always looking for the next thing to fix up around the house or what gadget might be just right for her lifestyle. Rebekah enjoys exploring new recipes, taking care of her family, and making sure she stays healthy with regular workouts at the gym.