The Clever Reason You Need A Second Trash Can In Your Kitchen

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There are few items in your kitchen that get as much use as your trash can. It's the home of most of your refuse, from pieces of plastic to coffee grounds and food scraps. Ideally, you'll want to keep it in a central location, allowing you to easily access it when you have sticky, food-coated fingers, and clean it regularly to prevent odors from cropping up. One thing that you may have never considered, though, is adding a second one to your kitchen.

Trash cans can be heavy, and lugging around just the bag puts you at imminent risk of leaving a liquid trail on your floor. A mini trash can, which can hang from a cabinet underneath your counter, is a far better idea. These Navaris Hanging Kitchen Waste Bins are the perfect size for most kitchens and are available at Walmart for around $16. Many of these models are expandable, allowing you to pull them out and scoop all of your peels and scraps right into them as you're chopping, thus limiting the number of trips to the big, cumbersome trash can. Add a liner to your bin, or just transfer the scraps to your normal trash can and give it a quick rinse after using it.

If you don't have a lip to fit your hanging trash can, you can always resort to one that fits on your countertop and has a cover. We recommend cleaning it out every time you use it; otherwise, it can become a source of pesky fruit flies. A smaller bin encourages more regular emptying, though if you cook a lot of veggies or foods that have a lot of scraps, a larger bin may be a better investment. 

If you are looking to take the investment component out, however, a bowl will do. It will help you save time while you're cooking, since you don't have to walk back and forth to your trash can to empty your scraps. If you are an avid coffee drinker, we also recommend keeping a receptacle near your machine so that you won't have to walk around holding a dripping coffee filter or espresso basket. A knock box, like this sleek model from De'Longhi, gives you a place to discard your espresso pucks — and save them for later, as you can use them to give your roasted veggies more flavor or put them on your patio to repel ants.