5KidzRUs Posted October 23, 2010 Share Posted October 23, 2010 Recycling is so UGLY! Any clever ways to hide all those garbage cans in the small-medium sized kitchen? Really, there is only one spot they can go - against the wall. Right now I am using a 3 slot, pvc and net, laundry cart. I was thinking something like a wood recycling cabinet that I could put stuff on top of ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted October 23, 2010 Share Posted October 23, 2010 I have outside recycling bins. Or there are these, our local organization store has them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted October 23, 2010 Share Posted October 23, 2010 We keep our recycling in the garage. We use milk crates to store the items and found an organizer that holds the crates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justasque Posted October 23, 2010 Share Posted October 23, 2010 I keep my recycling bins outside my kitchen door. We simply put the items in the bins immediately. It's really no trouble to open the door and put the jar or whatever into the bin - only a few steps. Another option would be to have one bin inside, and give someone the daily chore of taking it out to the more specific bins (stored outside) and sorting it. Some folks keep the bins in their garage. Is your recycling curbside? How often do they pick up? I assume it's not single-stream - how many different groups of items do you need to sort into? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LauraGB Posted October 23, 2010 Share Posted October 23, 2010 Does everything need to be separated? Ours just recently switched to glass, paper and plastic together. I keep the bins outside (in the garage), and keep a paper grocery bag next to the garbage can. Those are in a small closet in the kitchen. I used to keep them under the sink - one for paper and one for plastic and glass. They are small enough to fill kind of quickly, so they get taken outside fairly often, easy enough to hide, and don't cost anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5KidzRUs Posted October 23, 2010 Author Share Posted October 23, 2010 We have one for paper, one for gunk, one for plastic & metal and one for glass. We have the big gunk and paper bins outside that the garbage men empty about once or twice a month and the plastic/metal just lays on the curb. Glass we have to haul to a center. Our garage is on the first floor and the kitchen is way upstairs - otherwise I would love to be able to just go around the corner and put the containers in the garage. Family of six now - we make lotsa refuse :001_huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5KidzRUs Posted October 23, 2010 Author Share Posted October 23, 2010 Interesting thought, why is it that most our garbage comes from the kitchen? I must be doing something wrong - time to start a garden, grind my own wheat and do my own baking! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lapsetmom Posted October 23, 2010 Share Posted October 23, 2010 I have the same problem!!!! I wish I had the answer. I do not have a large house or a garage. Sometimes it seems like the recycling takes over a whole corner of my kitchen. I am hoping to find some cheap bins very soon that actually fit in my kitchen neatly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngieW in Texas Posted October 23, 2010 Share Posted October 23, 2010 I was very happy that our city switched to large dumpsters for the recycling with everything mixed together. Recycling is picked up just every 2nd week. The dumpster is just barely big enough for us. Our trash dumpster (same size) is much larger than we need. We rarely have more than two 13-gallon trashbags in it. Our recycling dumpster is filled to the top. Since we have single-stream recycling, we have just one trashcan in the kitchen for recycling. I dump it into the recycling dumpster every 3-4 days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2squared Posted October 23, 2010 Share Posted October 23, 2010 I have the exact same problem! We don't have an attached garage, and it's impractical to have the recycling in the garage in the winter (since the garage door is usually snowed shut). My tiny dishwasher is located directly underneath my sink, so that isn't an option for trash or recycling. I used to have the recycling in a corner and it drove me nutso. I moved it into my laundry room, and I pretend it doesn't exist. I drive it to a nearby town once/week since I don't have recycling pickup. I am eagerly reading all responses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckymama Posted October 23, 2010 Share Posted October 23, 2010 At our old house, I'd just stick recycling under the sink then take it to the outside bin once a day. I kept the individual bags (one for paper, one for glass etc) in that little bin, so it would take a minute to sort. This house we have a garage with space for the single-stream rolling bin right inside the door from the house. I open the door in the family room and drop the item right inside the bin as soon as I'm done with it. I'm still training the rest of the family to NOT put the item under the sink (and we've been here for four years!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarcyB Posted October 23, 2010 Share Posted October 23, 2010 Since our recycling goes into one bin (no need to separate different types of recycling materials), we keep one trash can for trash, one for recycling, and it's not bad. Our bins are out in the alley, and we can't bring them to our backdoor, so the 2 trashcan thing works for us. The cans blend in, sort of, so it's not an eyesore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted October 23, 2010 Share Posted October 23, 2010 We have a rollout cabinet garbage can and recycle bin. But we don't have to sort ours - it's single stream. We just dump it in one big bin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjzimmer1 Posted October 23, 2010 Share Posted October 23, 2010 I have something like this. http://www.dickswoodcreations.com/store-products-62-Double-Pull-Trash-or-Clothes-Hamper_35104554.html except mine has double doors. Each side holds a 13 gallon kitchen garbage container. It slides nicely under the overhang on the counter (which we never sit at anyways) but has enough space to store papers etc on. A local wood worker made singles of these and we specially ordered a double. About a year later he started stocking the doubles as well because he got so many requests. I find them at arts and crafts shows/stores. I have gotten so many compliments over the year because it hides them and keeps the smell down (which since we have a small kitchen space that is shared with the dining table). But we only have 1 bin for garbage and 1 bin for recyclables. If you have to separate further than that this might not work (unless you can find one with more than 2 bins) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PiCO Posted October 23, 2010 Share Posted October 23, 2010 Recycling is so UGLY! Any clever ways to hide all those garbage cans in the small-medium sized kitchen? Really, there is only one spot they can go - against the wall. Right now I am using a 3 slot, pvc and net, laundry cart. I was thinking something like a wood recycling cabinet that I could put stuff on top of ... Single stream recycling. I don't have to sort. I have a small basket that hangs inside the door under the sink. When it's full I take it to the big recycle container in the garage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paintedlady Posted October 23, 2010 Share Posted October 23, 2010 I use 2 slim side-by-side garbage cans in my kitchen. One for regular garbage and one for recycling. Whenever either one gets full they get taken outside to the big trash can and/or outside recycling bins. They look similar to this but mine have hinged swinging lids on top and were less expensive. I think I got mine at Menard's for about $15 each. hth! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaMa2005 Posted October 23, 2010 Share Posted October 23, 2010 I was very happy that our city switched to large dumpsters for the recycling with everything mixed together. Recycling is picked up just every 2nd week. The dumpster is just barely big enough for us. Our trash dumpster (same size) is much larger than we need. We rarely have more than two 13-gallon trashbags in it. Our recycling dumpster is filled to the top. Since we have single-stream recycling, we have just one trashcan in the kitchen for recycling. I dump it into the recycling dumpster every 3-4 days. This sounds likes us. We just recently got set up with a trash service that does recycling (and are paying more because we are recycling :confused:). I was amazed that the recycling bin just about overflows each week while the trash dumpster is nearly empty. Really gave us a heads up on how much waste can be recycled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingiguana Posted October 23, 2010 Share Posted October 23, 2010 We have to have a separate bag for each type -- including each type of paper. We're tripping over it constantly. It's probably not even safe, given that it partially blocks the back door. I don't see any good way to deal with it. We can't put it outside the kitchen door because that's practically the neighbor's yard. They don't want to look at it and it would blow all over once the raccoons got into it. Anyway, a good chunk of the year it's really too cold to be putting trash out the back door. The garage is too far away to make a trek out there every day -- and the garage door is frozen shut all winter. The only solution I see is to take out our bathroom and put a storage cabinet in instead. But then we'd no longer have a bathroom. Or to convince the city to go to unsorted recycling, but that just isn't going to happen. We have so much recycling it never fits in our city-provided bins. And we're not a big family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarlaS Posted October 23, 2010 Share Posted October 23, 2010 Recycling is so UGLY! Any clever ways to hide all those garbage cans in the small-medium sized kitchen? Really, there is only one spot they can go - against the wall. Right now I am using a 3 slot, pvc and net, laundry cart. I was thinking something like a wood recycling cabinet that I could put stuff on top of ... I think you are describing this: http://ana-white.com/2010/01/plans-recycling-center-pottery-barn.html You just need basic tools to build anything from her site--just a drill and a jigsaw for this one. Making it have three slots would not be difficult. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5KidzRUs Posted October 23, 2010 Author Share Posted October 23, 2010 GREAT IDEAS! Thanks everyone :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisy Posted October 23, 2010 Share Posted October 23, 2010 I have plastic bins in the garage that hold our recycling. When they are full we take them to the recycling center. Here is a picture of what I have out in the garage. http://i.walmartimages.com/i/p/00/07/31/49/54/0007314954085_500X500.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted October 23, 2010 Share Posted October 23, 2010 We have something like this (but in white) in the corner of the kitchen. It's reasonably neat. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissel Posted October 23, 2010 Share Posted October 23, 2010 We recently went to single stream (love it!), but before that we had one of these: http://www.amazon.com/Richell-USA-3-Bin-Recycling-Tower/dp/B00032Q0S6 Only a few sites are selling it now, but it was perfect for our use. I originally bought it at Bed Bath & Beyond, but I don't know if they still sell it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lisabelle Posted October 23, 2010 Share Posted October 23, 2010 Our kitchen is pretty close to the garage, so all recyclables go straight to the big red plastic toter in the garage (we don't need to sort). A couple of times a week the dh empties the toter into the recycle bin. If I'm cooking, I just let the recyclables pile up on the counter until I have a moment to walk them out. The thing I haven't figured out is food scraps for composting. Those containers are so tiny. I get why...you do want to fill them quickly so that they get out of the house before they start to smell. But I'd fill one up 3 or 4 times just making dinner! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Jessica* Posted October 23, 2010 Share Posted October 23, 2010 I think you are describing this: http://ana-white.com/2010/01/plans-recycling-center-pottery-barn.html You just need basic tools to build anything from her site--just a drill and a jigsaw for this one. Making it have three slots would not be difficult. Thank you for posting this link! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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