--- slug: what_size_kitchen_trash_can category_path: home_kitchen/kitchen_dining/storage_organization/kitchen_trash_cans type: buying_guide title: "What Size Kitchen Trash Can Do You Need?" lead: "A 45 L (12-13 gallon) pedal can with a lid is the family standard — it matches the bags sold everywhere and swallows a week of a household's kitchen waste. Size down only for solo kitchens; add a second slim bin when your area's sorting rules demand it." recommendation: name: "A 45 L lidded pedal can — plus a slim second bin if your municipality sorts" reason: "Trash can sizing starts from the bag aisle: 45 L (the 13-gallon 'tall kitchen' class) is the size bags are cheapest and everywhere, and it holds a family's kitchen week without compacting gymnastics. The lid and pedal aren't luxuries — they're the odor seal and the hands-full opener, and they defeat both pets and fruit flies. Sorting municipalities turn one can into a station: a slim two- or three-bin tower spends less floor than two round cans. Solo households do fine at 20-30 L emptied more often — a smaller can that leaves weekly beats a big one that ripens. Stainless bodies shrug off splashes; the step mechanism is the part that breaks, so test it in the store like a door handle." published: 2026-07-07 updated: 2026-07-07 ---