Pull Out Trash Can Cabinet: What Every Kitchen Owner Should Know Before Buying or Building

A pull out trash can cabinet is the single upgrade most homeowners tell us they wish they had added sooner. It slides the bin behind a cabinet door, keeps smells down, hides the mess from guests, and turns a corner of the kitchen that usually collects grocery bags into something that actually works. Whether you are remodeling from scratch or retrofitting a base cabinet you already own, the right setup comes down to three things: cabinet width, bin capacity, and the drawer slides doing the work. Here is everything I walk clients through before we build one.

Why a Cabinet Pull Out Trash Setup Beats a Freestanding Bin

Standing bins take up floor space, get bumped by dogs and kids, and never quite match the rest of the kitchen. Tucking the trash into a cabinet solves all three problems in one move. When the door opens, the bin comes with it. Close the door and the bin disappears.

Beyond looks, there is a hygiene angle. Lids on freestanding cans get sticky. Foot pedals break. Inside a cabinet pull out trash system, gravity handles the lid work for you. The moment you slide the bin back in, the top seals against a fixed shelf, and odors stay inside the cabinet. That matters more in Tennessee summers than most people expect, especially if the cabinet sits within a few feet of the range.

If you are mid renovation and thinking through the bigger picture, our kitchen remodel design guide covers where trash placement fits into the overall floor plan.

Choosing the Right Pull Out Trash Bin Cabinet Size

Every pull out trash bin cabinet comes down to two numbers: the interior width of the cabinet, and the height of the bin you want to use. Standard base cabinets in most kitchens are 24 inches deep and range from 9 to 36 inches wide. For a single bin, the sweet spot is 12 to 15 inches wide. For doubles you need at least 18 inches.

Height matters because a 13 gallon kitchen bag needs a bin around 15 inches tall. Add two inches of top clearance so the lid can flip open cleanly as you close the door. That means your cabinet interior needs 17 to 18 inches of vertical space above the slide track, which almost every standard 34.5 inch base cabinet handles without modification.

Depth is the one that trips people up. Older homes often have shallower cabinets, and some kits will not fit inside anything less than 21 inches deep. Measure the interior, not the face frame opening, before you buy hardware.

Still deciding on your overall layout? Our post on kitchen cabinet remodel ideas shows how trash pull outs get worked into different kitchen styles.

12 Inch Pull Out Trash Cabinet vs Wider Options

The 12 inch pull out trash cabinet is the most common single bin build. It fits a standard 10 to 13 gallon can and takes almost no wall space. Great for smaller kitchens, galley layouts, and anywhere you are squeezing every last inch.

Move up to 15 inches wide and you get room for a slightly bigger bin, or a small compost holder tucked beside the main can. At 18 inches you can start looking at doubles. Once you cross 21 inches, you are into what most builders call a full recycling and trash combo, with two 13 gallon bins side by side.

Narrow cabinets under 12 inches wide exist, but honestly, they only fit 7 gallon bins that fill up too fast for a real kitchen. If you have space, go wider. You will thank yourself in a year.

Pull Out Trash Cabinet Hardware That Actually Lasts

The frame, slides, and mounting bracket are where most cheap kits fall apart. A pull out trash cabinet hardware kit that costs under $40 usually uses stamped steel and light duty ball bearing slides. Those wear out inside two years, especially with heavy bin loads and daily use.

What we install in custom builds runs $80 to $150 per kit. Rev A Shelf, Hafele, and Blum are the tiers we trust. They use full extension undermount slides rated for at least 75 to 100 pounds. Some come with soft close built in, which pairs nicely with the rest of your kitchen if you already have soft close cabinet hinges on your doors.

Look for a door mount bracket that connects the cabinet door directly to the sliding frame. That single piece is what makes the whole system feel like one smooth drawer. Without it, you open the door, then you pull the trash. Two motions instead of one, and you notice it every single time.

One more piece of hardware people forget: the top mounted rail versus bottom mounted frame. Top mounted kits hang the bin from a rail near the top of the cabinet, which keeps the cabinet floor clear for cleaning. Bottom mounted frames sit on the cabinet floor and take a lot more abuse, but they cost less. For a busy family kitchen, I lean top mounted every time.

Single vs Double Pull Out Trash Cabinet

A double pull out trash cabinet holds two bins on the same slide frame. One for trash, one for recycling, or one for trash and one for compost if you are serious about it. The convenience is real. You sort as you cook, no separate bin under the sink or hidden on the porch.

The trade off is footprint. A double eats an 18 to 24 inch base cabinet, which is prime real estate near the sink. In a compact kitchen, that trade off might not be worth it. In a bigger remodel, especially where the kitchen sink cabinet already anchors the prep zone, doubling up the trash cabinet keeps everything within a step of where the food actually gets prepped.

If storage is already tight, our guide on kitchen cabinet organization ideas has better use cases for that same footprint.

Under Cabinet Pull Out Trash Can Placement Tips

Placement is half the job. The best under cabinet pull out trash can spot is next to the sink, on the side where you scrape plates. Food scraps go straight from the cutting board to the bin without a walk across the kitchen. It also keeps drips off the floor.

Avoid corners. A trash pull out in a corner cabinet loses half its swing to the adjacent wall and never feels right. Also avoid the cabinet directly next to the range. Heat and grease build up inside anything close to a cooktop, and trash bins are already a smell risk without adding fumes on top.

If you are working around an existing island, put the pull out on the side that faces the main work triangle, not the seating side. Guests do not need to watch you toss chicken bones.

DIY Pull Out Trash Cabinet or Have It Built Custom?

You can convert an existing base cabinet into a pull out trash setup in a weekend if you are reasonably handy. The parts run around $60 to $180 depending on hardware quality. YouTube tutorials cover the basics. The trickiest step is drilling the slide mounts perfectly level, because any wobble becomes a squeak within months.

The reason we still get calls for custom builds is fit. A DIY kit assumes a standard cabinet interior. Older Tennessee homes, especially anything built before 1990, often have odd cabinet depths, uneven face frames, and hinges that fight the pull out track. Custom shops build the trash out into the cabinet itself, matching your door style, wood species, and pull hardware so nothing looks bolted on later.

If you are weighing that decision, our breakdown on custom kitchen cabinets cost walks through pricing for both retrofits and new builds.

Quick Answers to Common Questions

What size cabinet do I need for a pull out trash can?
For a single 13 gallon bin, plan on a 12 to 15 inch wide cabinet at least 21 inches deep. For two bins, go 18 to 24 inches wide.

Can I convert any base cabinet into a pull out trash cabinet?
Most standard 34.5 inch tall base cabinets work fine. Older or non standard cabinets may need custom trimming to fit the slide frame square.

Do pull out trash cabinets keep smells inside?
Yes, if the bin has a lid and the cabinet door seals cleanly. A worn out door gasket or a warped face frame is usually the reason a cabinet starts to smell.

The Bottom Line

The best trash pull out cabinet is the one sized for your kitchen, built with hardware that will still glide smoothly in ten years, and placed where you actually work. Get those three right and the bin disappears from your life. You open the door, drop the trash, and close it. That is the whole point.

We handle custom trash pull outs and full kitchen remodels for homeowners across Nashville, Franklin, Brentwood, Spring Hill, Murfreesboro, Thompson's Station, and Columbia. Reach out if you want one built into your next project or retrofitted into your current kitchen.