Brands

The best Ninestars trash cans

Ninestars builds one thing - the motion-sensor can - and it is the only brand in the budget bracket that will put a battery figure in writing. That single habit tells you most of what you need to know about which model to buy.

By Ryder M. · Last reviewed October 17, 2026

Modern kitchen counter with stainless steel appliances

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 Ninestars 13 Gallon Rectangular Motion Sensor Trash Can. A rectangular body sits flush against a wall or an island instead of leaving a wedge of dead floor, it runs on standard 13-gallon bags, and Ninestars publishes a battery figure for it - up to nine months on two D cells - which nobody else in this price bracket will commit to. Go to the DZT-50-9 if you prefer the oval body and a C-cell, the 21 Gallon XL if a 13-gallon can is full before dinner is cleared, and the DZT-70-11R if you want sorting and hands-free in one unit.

#	Product	Best for	Price
01	Ninestars 13 Gallon Rectangular Motion Sensor Trash CanThe rectangular Ninestars, and the only sensor can in this price class that publishes how long a set of batteries lasts.	Best published battery life	$53.78 · View on Amazon Price as of October 17, 2026. #ad How we make money
02	Ninestars DZT-50-9 13.2 Gallon Motion Sensor Trash CanThe sensor can with the best published battery figure in the category: about 10,000 cycles on three C cells.	Best battery life	$67.15 · View on Amazon Price as of October 17, 2026. #ad How we make money
03	Ninestars 21 Gallon XL Automatic Touchless Trash Can (80 L)The biggest sensor can most households will consider: 80 liters, a wide opening, and a manual mode that locks the lid open.	Best XL sensor can	$89.99 · View on Amazon $99.99 · 10% off · Price as of October 17, 2026. #ad How we make money
04	Ninestars DZT-70-11R Dual Compartment Motion Sensor Recycler, 18.5 GallonSeventy litres split two ways under one sensor lid, at roughly a third of what the premium recyclers cost.	Best budget recycler	$118.99 · View on Amazon Price as of October 17, 2026. #ad How we make money

The reason to shop this brand at all is simple arithmetic: a Ninestars sensor can costs a fraction of a premium one and opens the same way. What you give up is the adaptive sensor, and that trade is the whole of the next section.

The one thing to understand before you buy a budget sensor can

Every can in this line closes on a fixed timer. The lid opens when your hand enters range, waits a set few seconds, and shuts - whether or not you have finished. A premium adaptive sensor holds the lid open while something is still in front of it. That difference is not a spec-sheet detail; it is the single thing people return sensor cans over.

It closes mid-scrape. Holding a plate over the can while you scrape it will, reliably, get you a lid in the wrist. The workaround is the manual mode: most of these cans will lock the lid open on a button, and you learn to use it.
It opens at passing traffic. A sensor that fires on anything in range will fire on a dog's tail and on a cupboard door swinging past. Placement fixes it - our fix-it guide for a touchless can that keeps opening covers the rest.
Batteries are the running cost. This is why the published figure matters. A can that eats a set of D cells every two months costs more to own than the price difference against a premium can.

If none of that appeals, the honest answer is a step can: no batteries, no timer, nothing to interfere with. Step can vs touchless trash can argues it out, and are touchless trash cans worth it? puts numbers on the running cost.

How we picked

No lab test here either. We established which models Ninestars currently sells in the US, confirmed each against the manufacturer's own product page, and ranked them on the four things that separate one sensor can from another at this price: the published battery figure, the body shape and how it sits in a real kitchen, the usable volume as opposed to the nominal capacity, and whether the liner is a size you already buy. Methodology, disclosure.

The picks in full

01 — Best published battery life

Ninestars 13 Gallon Rectangular Motion Sensor Trash Can

The rectangular Ninestars, and the only sensor can in this price class that publishes how long a set of batteries lasts.

Capacity: 13 gallons / 50 liters
Dimensions: 15.24" L x 11.22" W x 25.04" H
Weight: 6.75 lb empty
Shape: Rectangular, sits flush to a wall
Power: 2 x D batteries — up to 9 months (manufacturer figure)
Bag retention: Removable liner ring
Warranty: 2 years

Two reasons to take this one over the round original. The first is geometry: a rectangular body sits flush to a wall or an island and wastes nothing in a corner, where a semi-round leaves dead space. The second is that Ninestars publishes a battery figure for it — up to nine months on two D cells — which is more than anyone else in this bracket is willing to commit to in writing. The lid is a precision fit that closes softly and seals odour in, and the liner ring keeps the bag edge out of sight.

What we'd flag: square internal corners are harder to clean than rounded ones, and a leaked bag pools in those corners. Expect to get a cloth into them. Nine months is also a manufacturer figure on normal household use, not a tested one.

$53.78 · View on Amazon

Price as of October 17, 2026. #ad How we make money

02 — Best battery life

Ninestars DZT-50-9 13.2 Gallon Motion Sensor Trash Can

The sensor can with the best published battery figure in the category: about 10,000 cycles on three C cells.

Capacity: 50 liters / 13.2 gallons nominal
Usable volume: 10.2-11.6 gallons (manufacturer figure)
Dimensions: 16.5" L x 11.5" W x 28.4" H
Weight: 7.8 lb empty
Body: Oval, 430 stainless steel
Power: 3 x C batteries
Battery life: ~10,000 open-close cycles (manufacturer figure)
Bag retention: Removable interior liner

Ninestars states roughly 10,000 opens per set of three C batteries, which on normal household use is the better part of a year, and nobody else in this bracket publishes a figure at all. The body is 430 stainless rather than a painted steel skin, the lid opens and closes on a silent mechanism rather than a spring, and the interior liner lifts out so a bag change does not mean reaching down the inside of the can.

What we'd flag: the sensor runs a fixed timer rather than an adaptive one. If you pause mid-scrape it will close on you, and that is the behaviour people return sensor cans over. Be careful with the capacity too — Ninestars rates the body at 50 litres but the current listing quotes usable volume as 10.2 to 11.6 gallons, which is what a bag actually holds once the lid mechanism is in the way.

$67.15 · View on Amazon

Price as of October 17, 2026. #ad How we make money

03 — Best XL sensor can

Ninestars 21 Gallon XL Automatic Touchless Trash Can (80 L)

The biggest sensor can most households will consider: 80 liters, a wide opening, and a manual mode that locks the lid open.

Capacity: 21 gallons / 80 liters
Opening: Infrared sensor, soft-close lid
Manual mode: Yes — holds the lid open
Power: 3 x D batteries
Bag retention: Removable liner ring
Body: Fingerprint-resistant stainless steel, non-skid base

A large family fills a 13-gallon can before dinner is cleared, and the failure mode is a bag stacked beside the bin. Eighty liters ends that. The throat is wide enough for a pizza box or a gallon jug without folding anything, the infrared lid means nobody touches it with cooking hands, and a manual mode holds the lid open when you are clearing the fridge. A removable liner ring hides an oversized bag, which is the usual problem at this capacity.

What we'd flag: it runs on three D batteries and a can this size gets opened constantly, so expect to change them. It is also genuinely large — measure the floor and the lid swing before you commit.

$89.99 · View on Amazon

$99.99 · 10% off · Price as of October 17, 2026. #ad How we make money

04 — Best budget recycler

Ninestars DZT-70-11R Dual Compartment Motion Sensor Recycler, 18.5 Gallon

Seventy litres split two ways under one sensor lid, at roughly a third of what the premium recyclers cost.

Total capacity: 18.5 gallons / 70 liters
Dimensions: 13" L x 21.3" W x 26.2" H
Weight: 11.5 lb empty
Compartments: Two, semi-round body
Power: 4 x D batteries (not included)
Bag compatibility: Standard bags both sides, removable ring liners

If the goal is simply to stop recycling piling up on the counter, this does it. Two buckets, one sensor-opened lid, standard bags in both sides — no code letters, no proprietary liners. It is also the largest can Ninestars makes in this style, which matters for a recycler: splitting a body in two halves the useful volume of each side, so starting from 70 litres rather than 50 is the difference between emptying one side every day and every two.

What we'd flag: 70 litres split two ways is about 35 a side, so treat the stated 18.5 gallons as a total rather than as two large bins. The semi-round body is also 21 inches wide, which is a lot of wall for a kitchen that was tight to begin with.

$118.99 · View on Amazon

Price as of October 17, 2026. #ad How we make money

Which Ninestars, by the problem you have

Your problem	The model	Why
The can has to sit flat against a wall	13 Gallon Rectangular	Rectangular body, 15.24 x 11.22 inches, no dead corner
Batteries keep dying	13 Gallon Rectangular or DZT-50-9	Published figures: up to 9 months on 2 D cells, or about 10,000 cycles on 3 C cells
Full before dinner is cleared	21 Gallon XL	80 liters, wide throat, manual mode that locks the lid open
Recycling piles up on the counter	DZT-70-11R dual compartment	Two buckets under one sensor lid, standard bags both sides
You want a quiet lid in an open-plan room	21 Gallon XL	Soft-close lid rather than a sprung drop

Capacities and figures are Ninestars' own, taken from the manufacturer's product pages.

Two sizing notes worth having before you commit. The dual-compartment model is 70 liters in total, which is about 35 a side - treat it as two medium bins rather than two large ones. And the 21-gallon is genuinely large at 80 liters, so measure the floor and the lid swing; outdoor trash can sizes and the trash can size chart give you the comparison points.

Parts, batteries and the three-year question

A sensor can has two failure modes a step can does not: the electronics, and the battery contacts. Ninestars sells replacement lids and parts for current models through its own site, which is more than several better-known brands manage, and the rectangular 13-gallon carries a two-year warranty.

The practical maintenance is short. Keep the sensor window clean - a smear of kitchen grease reads as a permanent hand to an infrared eye. Use the manual mode for long jobs instead of fighting the timer. And when the lid starts behaving oddly, change the batteries before you diagnose anything else: a tired set causes most of the symptoms people blame on a dead sensor. Touchless trash can replacement parts covers who actually stocks what, and touchless lid not opening is the fault-finding order.

The two Ninestars cans we would actually buy: the rectangular 13-gallon for a normal kitchen, and the 80-liter XL for a household that outgrew one.

Best published battery life

Ninestars 13 Gallon Rectangular Motion Sensor Trash Can

The rectangular Ninestars, and the only sensor can in this price class that publishes how long a set of batteries lasts.

$53.78 · View on Amazon

Price as of October 17, 2026. #ad How we make money

Best XL sensor can

Ninestars 21 Gallon XL Automatic Touchless Trash Can (80 L)

The biggest sensor can most households will consider: 80 liters, a wide opening, and a manual mode that locks the lid open.

$89.99 · View on Amazon

$99.99 · 10% off · Price as of October 17, 2026. #ad How we make money

Common questions

What is the best Ninestars trash can?

The 13 Gallon Rectangular Motion Sensor Trash Can. The rectangular body sits flush to a wall, it takes standard 13-gallon bags, and Ninestars publishes a battery figure for it - up to nine months on two D cells.

Are Ninestars trash cans any good?

For the money, yes. You get a stainless body, a removable liner ring and a published battery figure. What you give up against a premium can is the adaptive sensor: every Ninestars lid closes on a fixed timer.

How long do Ninestars batteries last?

Ninestars states up to nine months on two D cells for the rectangular 13-gallon, and about 10,000 open-close cycles on three C cells for the DZT-50-9. Both are manufacturer figures on normal household use.

Does Ninestars make a 21 gallon trash can?

Yes - an 80-liter XL sensor can with a soft-close lid, a wide throat and a manual mode that holds the lid open. It runs on three D batteries.

Do Ninestars cans use special bags?

No. The 13-gallon models take standard tall kitchen bags and the removable liner ring hides the bag edge. The 21-gallon takes a larger liner, and the ring hides the overhang.

Why does my Ninestars lid close while I am using it?

Because the sensor runs a fixed timer rather than an adaptive one. Use the manual mode to lock the lid open for long jobs - that is what it is for.

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.

The short answer

The one thing to understand before you buy a budget sensor can

How we picked

The picks in full

Ninestars 13 Gallon Rectangular Motion Sensor Trash Can

Ninestars DZT-50-9 13.2 Gallon Motion Sensor Trash Can

Ninestars 21 Gallon XL Automatic Touchless Trash Can (80 L)

Ninestars DZT-70-11R Dual Compartment Motion Sensor Recycler, 18.5 Gallon

Which Ninestars, by the problem you have

Parts, batteries and the three-year question

Ninestars 13 Gallon Rectangular Motion Sensor Trash Can

Ninestars 21 Gallon XL Automatic Touchless Trash Can (80 L)

Common questions

What is the best Ninestars trash can?

Are Ninestars trash cans any good?

How long do Ninestars batteries last?

Does Ninestars make a 21 gallon trash can?

Do Ninestars cans use special bags?

Why does my Ninestars lid close while I am using it?

Sources

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