Serial object par excellence, the waste bin inherited from its ancestor, the vase, its container function and even, sometimes, the same formal typology. And yet, it was thanks to the industrial revolution that the bin appeared and spread as a new, indispensable object of modernity. Whether we are talking about a rubbish bin or a wastepaper basket, the bin was first and foremost the product of a fast-growing society that began to deal with waste, systematically and on a vast scale.
The essentials: 20 of the best trash bin designs
Organization assistants for the home and the office, waste baskets and bins appeared hand in hand with industrial production and an idea of consumption that was expanding on a global scale. Digitalisation has questioned their function, but not enough to make them disappear.
Polypropylene. Dimensions 26 x 26 x 41 cm
Polypropylene. Dimensions 59x59 x 24
Chestnut wood. Available sizes 18 x 18 x 25,8 or 22,4 x 22,4 x 33,6 cm
ABS. Dimensions 30 x 30 x 38,5 cm
Polypropylene, 30.5 x 30.5 x 36 cm
Polyethylene. Dimensions 37.5 x 37.5 x 62.2 cm
Polypropylene. Available in two sizes, Dimensions 31.5 x 31.5 x 35 or 14.2 x 14.2 x 16.5 cm
Stainless steel. Dimensions 30 x 30 x 30,8 cm
Rubber-coated plastic, 37.4 x 37.4 x 51.3 cm
Enameld sheet metal. Dimensions 34 x 34 x 32 cm
Polypropylene. Available in two versions of different sizes and in a wide colour palette.
Handcrafted birch plywood, leather, string. Available in three versions of different sizes.
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- Giulia Zappa
- 12 October 2021
It was in fact in 19th-century England that the waste bin began to be mass-produced, while previously it had been hand-made as a luxury good for the aristocracy. Its evolution in the following century was still dedicated to mass society. The revolution of white-collars with the arrival of large offices required the presence of a paper basket at every desk, while the plastic revolution gave new impetus to the production of low-cost bins with increasingly sculptural shapes, far from the knurling and grooving of the first galvanised metal models.
Today, digitalisation is contributing to reducing the size and presence of the waste bin in the office, and requires us to totally rethink the household bin, which is multiplying to accommodate recycling containers. In a society that is becoming increasingly virtual and aims at zero waste, is the waste bin destined to change its nature? This is what one might think when observing recent examples that play with more unpredictable forms and look like empty pockets or containers for personal items. Even if it is likely we’ll be using bins less and less, we find it hard to believe it will disappear: it is more likely that the weight of real life, with its waste and need to conceal things, will continue to make bins an unavoidable accessory to our existence.
Produced in England by Garrods of Barking in East London, these legendary galvanised metal dustbins were designed to withstand the bad weather: it was not until the 18th century that rubbish was no longer stored in the home but in the street, requiring the presence of dedicated containers. In the meantime, the shape became iconic, thanks to the side handles, the large handle on the lid, and the corrugated metal that gives it stability and strength, as well as an unmistakable texture.
Another mass-produced product, the dustbin designed by James Caldwell turned the arrival of the rubber market into an opportunity to conceive a light, easily transportable and washable rubbish bin that could be easily sealed to reduce the spread of smells.
A dustbin that is the result of a love story: Danish Nielsen Holger conceived model 15 while designing the furnishings for his wife Marie Axelsen's future hairdressing salon. The introduction of the pedal - especially functional for those workers who constantly have their hands full - brought attention to the prototype, which Holger later mass-produced by founding Vipp, a Danish onomatopoeic word that recalls the sound of the iconic domed lid’s movement as it opens and closes.
An evolution of the Garrods of Barking’s dustbin, the famous New York model from the long-established German brand Wenko was inspired by American galvanised metal dustbins, and introduces the use of the pedal even for low-cost products.
This injection-moulded polypropylene wastepaper basket - one of Mari's best-known pieces - stands out for the unusual transversal cut: an original formal solution, but also an invitation, made explicit by its shape, to use the basket as a hoop to throw your notes in. The “wait” its name refers to, is that of the object, waiting to receive new sheets of crumpled paper within its volume.
Inspired by the sensuality and curves of Greta Garbo, Garbino aims to elevate an everyday object into a glamorous element thanks to its gentle flared forms and undulating upper profile. Two large handles make it easy to hold and move around the house, while the colour versions make it stand out, especially in the models with a glossy finish.
Minimalist but not boring, the 2 Hands Basket stands out for its generous flared shape reminiscent of a table basket. The two large handles make explicit and underline the grip, while the plastic makes the object versatile, suitable both as a container object for display and as a basket for carrying out housework.
Assembled from separate planks with invisible internal joints, the storage container in the collection created by Scholten & Baijings for this Japanese brand stands out for the scenic presence of colour, achieved through the use of contrasting tones and a signature palette that harmonises pastel and fluorescent colours.
The Bincan wastepaper basket created by Naoto Fukasawa for Danese is part of the Bincan collection of office objects with which it shares the systemic approach and the essentiality of colours and lines. It is completed by two semi-circular bag holders, which allow one to differentiate the type of waste to throw out.
A bin complete with a circular bin-liner holder, distinguished by the elegant circular hole that visually hides the volume of the objects to dispose without having to open and close the lid. Available in a wide palette of colours, it well identifies Morrison's philosophy of the super normal object, the sublimation of the ordinary.
Korzina is the Russian word for the Italian “bin”. Inspired by this typology, Karim Rashid's design is designed exclusively as a container, enhancing its form thanks to a double overlapping curvature similar to a vase and designed to store small objects.
An original paper waste basket for the office - or for our virtual workstations at home - Basketbin is a polypropylene basket that allows one to insert another small container for organic waste in the spaces between its slats. A shape within a shape with a strong chromatic contrast, therefore, that encourages the habit of recycling, even the bits of food - an apple, a tea bag - consumed during working hours.
An experiment with stainless steel wire that gave rise to an entire family of objects for the home, the A Tempo basket combines great formal simplicity with a strong graphic character. The graceful shape of the basket is accentuated by the very slight curvature of the base, while the rhomboidal mesh of the wire creates an acceleration of movement that, in the designer's intentions, seems to create a sort of musical crescendo.
A generously sized basket designed for versatile use - from a rubbish bin, to a laundry basket, to an office wastebasket or card holder - Hideaway Bin conceals a real trick under its clean, linear forms. Underneath the lid, a projecting catch allows hanging it to the side of the bin - a solution that is not only formally elegant, but also a practical antidote to clutter.
A cross between culture and craftsmanship, German designer Cordula Kehrer's Bow Bins combine anonymous plastic baskets with a wicker integration that is different every time. Made by the Aeta people in the Philippines, they encourage the application of their traditional savoir-faire to a new type of object and help support the local economy.
One of the best-selling models on a global scale, Knodd embodies a contemporary take on the classic galvanised sheet bin, which here is enamelled with simple profile patterns. Versatile and multifunctional, suitable for the office as well as the bathroom or kitchen, it features a small hook to hang the lid to the side of the basket.
A colourful presence within the domestic environment, Happy Bin takes the iconic shape of a plant pot and tops it with a circular bin-liner holder with slightly offset and asymmetrical edges. A reference to an abstract organic form, designed not only to give the item a sculptural shape, but also to enliven it with a vital and optimistic trait.
Handcrafted by Pentiilä herself without the use of glue or stitching, this poetic emptying basket stands out for the visual texture given by the folded sheet of plywood and the original handle made from a leather thread attached to the volume with a small wooden segment. Its lightness makes it easy to transport.
The dustbin adapts to the contemporary age by incorporating the needs of increasingly demanding recycling. The challenge—and certainly not a trivial one when it comes to combining different containers in a confined space—was well met. The bins that have to be picked up and emptied to throw away the rubbish are stacked in a column and slide forward to make it easier to take the bag out.
A waste bin for the home or office, it has a classic recycled plastic mesh that leave the original plastic fragments visible, reassembling them into a chaotic and cheerful texture.