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Truth be told, I never really thought about garbage cans as something to invest in when outfitting my apartment. After all, you literally fill them with garbage, so how cool, sleek, and hi-tech do they really need to be? My previous criteria when selecting one was that it had to a) have a fairly large capacity, and b) have a lid. That was it! The shamefully wasteful scenario played out like so: I’d get a new apartment, buy a rinky-dink plastic trash can from the dollar store, use it for a year, then throw it away when I finished my lease. Then, the cycle would repeat. These days, though, in an effort to both be less wasteful and appease my girlfriend make my house a home, I’ve been looking for items that I can have for a while — and that includes trash cans. Luckily, I recently snagged what I think is going to be my forever bin: the SONGMICS 13 Gallon White Step Trash Can.
What Is the SONGMICS 13-Gallon White Step Trash Can?
This simple, no-frills trash can is exactly what I need in my kitchen. Its 13.2-gallon capacity is more than enough for my space, and the step action is perfect for when my hands are full and I need to dump food scraps or other trash. It also features a tight-fitting lid that completely blocks odors. (I accidentally left some trash in there when I went on vacation, and when I came back, I didn’t even realize it — until I opened the lid, that is.) Plus, it’s made of metal, which is a surprisingly better look than the plastic bins I’m used to.
Why I Love the SONGMICS 13-Gallon White Step Trash Can
The look of this thing is what first drew me in. It’s sleek, shiny, and most of all, it opens horizontally so it’s out of the way and sits close to the wall. The design is great, too: It has a rigid plastic liner with a space in the back that lets me tuck in the garbage bag so it stays in place and isn’t visible when the lid is down. Plus, if the bag breaks, I can just take the whole liner to the curb (no spills) and then easily clean it — and not have to worry about the can itself getting gross. The squashed-cylinder shape also lets me use the entire volume of the garbage bag instead of pulling it out to realize that it’s only half full. Oh, and the lid can also stay open if you tilt it back fully, so you don’t have to hold your foot on the pedal the whole time if you don’t want to. Then, when you close it, the built-in buffer mechanism makes the lid close softly and slowly — without a huge bang.
TL;DR: I’m smitten, and I’m not the only one. “I love this trash can so much,” one reviewer wrote. “Didn’t know it was possible to be this obsessed with a garbage can. I love the wide opening so much fits in this garbage can without taking up a ton of floor space.” Same.