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Alternatives to simplehuman trash cans

simplehuman makes genuinely good cans, and most people looking for an alternative only want one of the things it does. Decide which one, and the price drops a long way.

By Ryder M. · Last reviewed November 10, 2026

Clean modern kitchen with an island and handleless cabinets

Lid & Liner is reader-supported. If you buy through a link on this page we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It never changes which product we rank first — how we pick and how we make money.

The short answer

Buy the Kohler 13-Gallon Stainless Steel Step Trash Can (K-20940). It is the closest thing to a simplehuman in build: a metal foot pedal, a slow-close lid that also stays open, a fingerprint-resistant finish, and a brand with a real service operation behind it. The budget pick is the Amazon Basics 13.2 Gallon Soft-Close Step Can, which gets you the damped lid and the stainless body for a fraction of the money. If warranty is what you are buying, the Brabantia Bo Touch Bin is the one to look at; if it is capacity, the EKO Hudson 75L is a 20-gallon can for less than a 45-liter simplehuman.

#ProductBest forPrice
01
Kohler 13-Gallon Stainless Steel Step Trash Can (K-20940)
Kohler 13-Gallon Stainless Steel Step Trash Can (K-20940)The premium-feeling stainless can that does not lock you into proprietary liners — it is built around the standard 13-gallon bag.
Best value stainless
$160.99 · View on Amazon

Price as of November 14, 2026.  #ad How we make money

02
EKO Madison 13.2 Gallon Step Trash Can
EKO Madison 13.2 Gallon Step Trash CanThe stainless step can that competes on the one spec that actually predicts lifespan — pedal cycles — without the premium-brand markup.
Best budget stainless
$89.99 · View on Amazon

Price as of November 14, 2026.  #ad How we make money

03
Brabantia Bo Touch Bin, 36 L
Brabantia Bo Touch Bin, 36 LA touch-open bin with a ten-year guarantee and a removable inner bucket, built to sit flat against a wall.
Best warranty
04
Amazon Basics 13.2 Gallon (50 L) Soft-Close Step Trash Can
Amazon Basics 13.2 Gallon (50 L) Soft-Close Step Trash CanThe cheapest way to get a genuinely damped lid: a 50-liter brushed stainless step can with a removable inner bucket.
Best cheap soft-close
$79.99 · View on Amazon

$89.99 · 11% off · Price as of November 14, 2026.  #ad How we make money

05
EKO Hudson 75L / 20 Gallon Step Trash Can
EKO Hudson 75L / 20 Gallon Step Trash CanA 20-gallon stainless step can with a genuinely damped lid and a rear compartment that holds the bag roll — the feature cans at this size almost always drop.
Best soft-close at this size
$109.99 · View on Amazon

Price as of November 14, 2026.  #ad How we make money

06
Glad 13 Gallon Stainless Steel Step Trash Can with Clorox Odor Protection (GLD-74525)
Glad 13 Gallon Stainless Steel Step Trash Can with Clorox Odor Protection (GLD-74525)The Glad can to buy if you only buy one: a 13-gallon brushed stainless step can with the odor treatment on the lid and a rear compartment that stores the bag roll.
Best Glad overall
$79.99 · View on Amazon

Price as of November 14, 2026.  #ad How we make money

We are not going to pretend simplehuman is bad. It is not, and we say so in is simplehuman worth it? and the best simplehuman trash cans. This page is for the specific, common case where you have looked at the price and want to know what else does the job.

What simplehuman is known for

Four things, and no alternative here matches all four. Identify which one you actually care about and the choice becomes easy.

  • The pedal. simplehuman's step cans use a steel pedal and the brand publishes a warranty against the mechanism rather than just the finish. This is the thing that makes a ten-year-old simplehuman still work. Kohler is the closest match here.
  • The lid. A damped lid that closes slowly and silently, every time, for years. Several cans in this list have soft-close; fewer have soft-close that is still good in year five.
  • The liner system. A liner pocket in the body and custom-fit coded liners that make the bag invisible. This is also the part that costs you money forever - see simplehuman liner alternatives for the way out of it.
  • The warranty. simplehuman publishes a five-year warranty on its cans. Brabantia publishes ten on the Bo range. Most of the rest of this list is one to two years.

Everything above comes from simplehuman's own published material, linked in the sources. We have not tested any of these cans to destruction and we do not claim to have.

Who each alternative is for

PickWho it is forWhat it matches simplehuman on
Kohler 13-Gallon Step (K-20940)Anyone who wants the same feel from a comparable brandMetal pedal, slow-close and stay-open lid
EKO Madison 13.2 Gallon StepA brushed stainless step can at half the outlayFinish and soft-close, lower price
Brabantia Bo Touch Bin, 36 LBuying on warranty rather than on pricePublished ten-year warranty
Amazon Basics 13.2 Gallon Soft-CloseThe budget pick - damped lid, stainless bodySoft-close at a fraction of the price
EKO Hudson 75L / 20 Gallon StepA household that needs more capacity than 45-50 LDamped lid, far more volume
Glad 13 Gallon Stainless StepStandard bags and no coded liner, everFull-size stainless with no bag lock-in
Warranty terms are each manufacturer's own published figure; the sources are listed below.

The picks in full

Kohler 13-Gallon Stainless Steel Step Trash Can (K-20940)

01 — Best value stainless

Kohler 13-Gallon Stainless Steel Step Trash Can (K-20940)

The premium-feeling stainless can that does not lock you into proprietary liners — it is built around the standard 13-gallon bag.

Capacity
13 gallons
Bag compatibility
Standard 13-gallon bags
Lid
Slow-close, stay-open
Pedal
Metal
Bag retention
Interior ring
Finish
White stainless steel, fingerprint proof (20940-STW)

Kohler states this fits all 13-gallon garbage bags, and that is the whole argument for it over the simplehuman. You get a robust metal pedal, a slow-close lid that also stays open when you need both hands, an interior ring that holds the bag by the rim, and a fingerprint-resistant finish — without a liner subscription. For most households that is the right trade.

What we'd flag: a standard 13-gallon bag in a 13-gallon can still overhangs, because bag sizing is nominal rather than dimensional. The interior ring hides it, but the bag is still bigger than the can.

$160.99 · View on Amazon

Price as of November 14, 2026.  #ad How we make money

EKO Madison 13.2 Gallon Step Trash Can

02 — Best budget stainless

EKO Madison 13.2 Gallon Step Trash Can

The stainless step can that competes on the one spec that actually predicts lifespan — pedal cycles — without the premium-brand markup.

Capacity
13.2 gallons / 50 liters
Pedal rating
200,000+ steps (manufacturer figure)
Lid
Soft-close
Inner bucket
Raised, with handles
Bag compatibility
Standard 13-gallon bags

EKO states the pedal mechanism is tested past 200,000 steps, a higher published figure than several cans costing more. You also get a soft-close lid and a raised inner bucket with handles, so bag changes do not involve reaching down into the body of the can. It takes standard 13-gallon bags.

What we'd flag: EKO's published warranty and parts support are thinner than Kohler's or Brabantia's. If the pedal linkage does fail, replacement is less straightforward than with brands that stock spares.

$89.99 · View on Amazon

Price as of November 14, 2026.  #ad How we make money

Brabantia Bo Touch Bin, 36 L

03 — Best warranty

Brabantia Bo Touch Bin, 36 L

A touch-open bin with a ten-year guarantee and a removable inner bucket, built to sit flat against a wall.

Capacity
36 liters / 9.5 gallons
Guarantee
10 years (manufacturer)
Opening
Soft-touch lid panel
Inner bucket
Removable plastic
Feet
Adjustable, non-slip
Lid
Large opening, stays open

Brabantia guarantees the Bo for ten years, the longest published guarantee in the mainstream category, and that tells you something about how they expect the mechanism to age. There is no pedal at all — you press the lid panel — so there is no linkage to wear out. Adjustable non-skid legs let you level it on an uneven floor, and the inner bucket lifts straight out.

What we'd flag: no pedal means no hands-free opening. If your hands are usually full or greasy when you go to the bin, a touch lid is a step backwards from a pedal, whatever the guarantee says.

Amazon Basics 13.2 Gallon (50 L) Soft-Close Step Trash Can

04 — Best cheap soft-close

Amazon Basics 13.2 Gallon (50 L) Soft-Close Step Trash Can

The cheapest way to get a genuinely damped lid: a 50-liter brushed stainless step can with a removable inner bucket.

Capacity
13.2 gallons / 50 liters
Lid
Soft-close
Pedal
Foot lever
Inner bucket
Removable
Finish
Smudge-resistant brushed stainless
Dimensions
14.8" x 16.7" x 25.9"

A soft-close lid is the feature that decides whether a can is tolerable in an open-plan kitchen, and it is normally the first thing budget cans drop. This keeps it, adds a smudge-resistant finish so the fingerprints are less obvious, and uses a removable inner bucket so a leaked bag does not sit against the steel. It takes standard 13-gallon liners.

What we'd flag: the pedal has no published cycle rating, and no rating usually means the manufacturer does not want to print one. Treat this as a three-to-five year can rather than a ten-year one.

$79.99 · View on Amazon

$89.99 · 11% off · Price as of November 14, 2026.  #ad How we make money

EKO Hudson 75L / 20 Gallon Step Trash Can

05 — Best soft-close at this size

EKO Hudson 75L / 20 Gallon Step Trash Can

A 20-gallon stainless step can with a genuinely damped lid and a rear compartment that holds the bag roll — the feature cans at this size almost always drop.

Capacity
20 gallons / 75 liters
Dimensions
16.3" L x 14.3" W x 31.4" H
Weight
19 lb empty
Pedal
Steel, rated over 200,000 presses (manufacturer figure)
Lid
Bi-force damper, soft open and close
Bag storage
Rear compartment for the liner roll

Lid damping is the difference between a can you tolerate in an open-plan kitchen and one you replace. At 13 gallons it is easy to find cheaply; at 20 gallons it is usually the first thing cut, which is why most big cans bang. The Hudson keeps a bi-force damper on both the open and the close, and EKO rates the steel pedal at over 200,000 presses. The useful oddity is the compartment behind the body: the roll of liners lives there, so the next bag is at the can rather than under the sink.

What we'd flag: it is 31.4 inches tall and 19 pounds empty, which is a lot of can to move for cleaning, and at 16.3 inches deep it needs a real gap rather than a slot. The matte finish also shows water spots more than a brushed one, even though it hides fingerprints better.

$109.99 · View on Amazon

Price as of November 14, 2026.  #ad How we make money

Glad 13 Gallon Stainless Steel Step Trash Can with Clorox Odor Protection (GLD-74525)

06 — Best Glad overall

Glad 13 Gallon Stainless Steel Step Trash Can with Clorox Odor Protection (GLD-74525)

The Glad can to buy if you only buy one: a 13-gallon brushed stainless step can with the odor treatment on the lid and a rear compartment that stores the bag roll.

Model
GLD-74525
Capacity
13 gallons
Dimensions
About 17.75" W x 17.25" D x 25" H (retailer listing)
Lid
Stay-open; Clorox odor protection on lid and lid frame
Bag retention
Stainless steel bag rings
Storage
Rear compartment for a roll of bags
Body
Fingerprint-resistant brushed stainless steel

Two things separate this from a generic stainless step can at the same size. The first is the rear bag compartment — a slot molded into the back of the body that holds a roll of liners, so the replacement bag is at the can instead of under the sink. The second is the stay-open lid, which holds the lid up while you change the bag instead of dropping it on your wrist. Glad puts its Clorox odor protection on the lid and the lid frame, the two surfaces that collect the film that actually smells, and the stainless bag rings grip an ordinary 13-gallon liner so the bag does not slide into the can.

What we'd flag: the odor protection is an antimicrobial treatment on the lid, not a carbon filter — it inhibits bacteria growing on the plastic, it does not scrub the air leaving the can. If you want filtered air you still want a can with a replaceable carbon cartridge.

$79.99 · View on Amazon

Price as of November 14, 2026.  #ad How we make money

The bag question, which is most of the money

A simplehuman can that uses Code J, K, M, N or Q liners costs you a box of coded liners several times a year for as long as you own it. Over five years that is frequently more than the gap between the simplehuman and the alternative you were considering.

The two alternatives we would actually buy: the Kohler if you want the closest match, the Amazon Basics if you want most of the experience for the least money.

Kohler 13-Gallon Stainless Steel Step Trash Can (K-20940)

Best value stainless

Kohler 13-Gallon Stainless Steel Step Trash Can (K-20940)

The premium-feeling stainless can that does not lock you into proprietary liners — it is built around the standard 13-gallon bag.

$160.99 · View on Amazon

Price as of November 14, 2026.  #ad How we make money

Amazon Basics 13.2 Gallon (50 L) Soft-Close Step Trash Can

Best cheap soft-close

Amazon Basics 13.2 Gallon (50 L) Soft-Close Step Trash Can

The cheapest way to get a genuinely damped lid: a 50-liter brushed stainless step can with a removable inner bucket.

$79.99 · View on Amazon

$89.99 · 11% off · Price as of November 14, 2026.  #ad How we make money

The other premium brand

If Brabantia was the one you were weighing instead, the same exercise is on Brabantia alternatives - guarantee, touch lid and PerfectFit bags, each with its cheaper route.

Common questions

What is the best alternative to a simplehuman trash can?

The Kohler 13-Gallon Stainless Steel Step Trash Can. It matches simplehuman most closely on the things that matter - a metal foot pedal, a slow-close lid that stays open, and a fingerprint-resistant finish.

Is there a cheap simplehuman alternative?

The Amazon Basics 13.2 Gallon Soft-Close Step Can. It gets you a damped lid and a stainless body for a fraction of the price, and takes ordinary 13-gallon bags.

Which brand has a better warranty than simplehuman?

Brabantia publishes a ten-year warranty on the Bo range, against simplehuman's published five years. Most other alternatives are one to two years.

Do simplehuman alternatives use the same liners?

No, and that is usually the point. The cans on this page take standard tall kitchen bags rather than coded custom-fit liners, which removes the ongoing cost.

Is simplehuman actually worth the money?

For a can used dozens of times a day in a kitchen you will be in for a decade, the pedal and lid engineering are real. For a second can, a guest bathroom or a rental, they are not.

Can you get a 20-gallon simplehuman alternative?

Yes. The EKO Hudson 75L is a 20-gallon damped step can and sits well below the price of a 45 to 55 liter simplehuman.

Sources

Every specification on this page traces to one of these, checked at the time of writing. Where a manufacturer does not publish a figure, the page says so rather than estimating it.

Read next

The author

Ryder M.

Owner and editor of Lid & Liner, published by Magoo Media Group. He started the site after getting tired of the same problem everyone has: every “best trash can” article covers ten products and none of them tells you whether a 13-gallon bag actually fits a 13-gallon can. Lid & Liner covers one category and tries to cover it completely.

Last reviewed November 10, 2026. Spotted an error? Tell us and we will correct it and note the correction.