You Might Not Think You Need a Mini Trash Can. You’re Wrong.
Usually when I’m working on a project that produces a lot of little trash (sewing, printing shipping labels, these types of things) I grab a small shopping bag and use that to collect all the tiny trash. They I just throw away the whole bag. Easy! But it is getting harder and harder to get a small paper shopping bag, at least where I live. My requisite large shopping bag filled with smaller shopping bags is almost entirely made up of reusable bags, so the whole “fill up a bag and throw the whole thing away” schtick is OVER. And it was significantly more difficult to fill a reusable shopping bag and then dump the contents of the bag into the trash (they’re floppy, the handles get in the way, I end up with tiny trash all over my kitchen floor). So when I saw this little desktop trash can at Target, I scooped it up and decided to give it a go.
Initially my plan was to use this 6.5” tall trash can for sewing scraps, and I do use it for that, but I also use it for the trash amassed when I “play post office” AKA print a bunch of shipping labels, and it is the perfect height to use as a laptop stand when I’m on video calls. I keep it out on my kitchen table all the time, because I use it ALL THE TIME.
The top is weighted so it can swing like a typical trash can lid, but it’s also simple and easy to just lift it up and use it as a topless bin. The size is perfect - small enough to be unobtrusive but large enough that you don’t have to keep getting up to empty it, negating its value entirely. And it costs $5. FIVE DOLLARS?? For something that turned out to be so useful I keep it out and accessible every day. I love my baby trash can!
