Have you noticed how completely ugly most recycling bins are? I am sure you have. If you use the bins provided by your city or local waste collection service then you probably have the standard plastic tubs in red, green, or blue. They are fine for putting out at the curb once a week but it gets annoying to have to look at them in your kitchen every day. Not only do they waste a lot of space, they look unsightly. So what to do? I know! Hide those dastardly bins in the garage or set them out back. That does work, except when you find that kids, husbands, or perhaps even you skip the trip and throw recyclables away. This won’t do.

We need something easy, accessible, and pleasing to the eye. Lucky for us there are quite a few options out there nowadays that meet this criteria. They match our snazzy ‘green’ decor better and they make it easier to recycle as much as we possibly can. Admittedly some are on the small side but big things can still be put out in the garage bins right? It’s not as if someone is going to take the time to rip up large cardboard boxes to fit inside the garbage if they can just walk it to a nearby bin right? Yeah, I think these are workable. I would be jazzed to have any of these recycling systems in my home. How about you?

Stainless 2 Compartment Recycling Bin – 16 gallons with two compartments in case you want to keep items separated (ala glass and plastic). The finish is lovely and will match your other appliances if you have a stainless thing going on in the kitchen. It is also on wheels so you can easily move it around.

 

Hands Free Triple Bin Recycling Can – This is another stainless option and I love that it is hands free, whilst still having a lid. It has three bins all with a 3 gallon capacity. They are removable so you can just pull them out and dump into your roadside bins. Sounds like a job for the kids, no?

 

Brushed Stainless Recycling Bin – This option is finger-print proof  and thus more expensive but some people have really fancy kitchens and it might be important for them to maintain the look. This bin and foot pedal are made to last for many, many years so it won’t need to be replaced any time soon and the lid has a filter for odor absorption just in case someone doesn’t rinse out the milk jug before recycling it.

Polyester Stand Up Recycling Bags – Okay I do NOT have one of those aforementioned fancy kitchens. I think these would be a-okay for display. You may or may not agree but these waterproof upright bags would be super easy to use and care for. They fit a lot of stuff and they are different colors if you need to separate your recyclables.

Recycling Bin with Changeable Labels – This bin is another that may not be stylish enough for some high end kitchens but I love that it is upright and has a label system. It has labels for compost, landfill, glass, plastic, paper, and others. I love that you can compost in one section and collect glass bottles in another.

Pull Out Recycling Bins – These bins are not so pleasing to the eye but they are made to be tucked away inside one of your kitchen cabinets using the provided tracks. They are pretty roomy and they will be out of the way. You can use both for recycling or one for regular landfill trash.

Did you find one that will work for you?