Brands

Brabantia alternatives

Brabantia makes a bin you can still be using in ten years, and that is genuinely most of what you are paying for. The question worth asking is which part of it you actually want - the guarantee, the touch lid, or the look - because each one has a cheaper route.

By Ryder M. · Last reviewed November 10, 2026

Scandinavian kitchen with white cabinets and open shelving

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 simplehuman 45L Rectangular Step Can with Liner Pocket. It is the closest like-for-like swap: the same premium-bin proposition, a steel pedal built to be stepped on for years, and a liner pocket that makes the bag invisible the way Brabantia's does. The budget pick is the Amazon Basics 13.2 Gallon Soft-Close Step Can, which gets you a damped lid and a stainless body for a fraction of the money and takes ordinary 13-gallon bags. If it is the understated European look you want rather than the warranty, the EKO Madison is the one to compare on price.

#	Product	Best for	Price
01	simplehuman 45L Rectangular Step Can with Liner PocketThe kitchen can that solves bag fit properly, with a pedal rated for 150,000 steps and a liner pocket that ends the hunt for the box under the sink.	Best overall	$149.99 · View on Amazon Price as of November 14, 2026. #ad How we make money
02	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
03	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
04	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
05	Joseph Joseph Totem Compact 40L Waste and Recycling UnitThe Totem shrunk for a small kitchen, keeping the food caddy and the carbon filters.	Best small-kitchen recycler	$183.99 · View on Amazon $230.00 · 20% off · Price as of November 14, 2026. #ad How we make money
06	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

Worth saying plainly before anything else: Brabantia is a good brand and we have not found a reason to say otherwise. This page exists because "brabantia alternatives" is a thing people search for, and because this site already picks up impressions for simplehuman vs Brabantia - so the comparison is clearly on people's minds.

What Brabantia is known for

Three things, taken from Brabantia's own published material rather than from anything we tested. Work out which one you are buying and the decision gets much easier.

The guarantee. Brabantia publishes a 10-year guarantee on the Bo range. That is the longest cover of any bin on this page by a distance - simplehuman publishes five years, and most of the rest are one to two. If longevity cover is the reason you were looking at Brabantia, nothing here matches it and you should buy the Brabantia.
The touch lid. The Bo Touch has no pedal at all: you press the top panel and the lid lifts. It is quiet, there is no pedal rod to fail, and it is the mechanism people either love or find impractical with full hands. Nothing else in this list works that way - every alternative here is a foot pedal.
PerfectFit bags. Brabantia sells bin liners coded by letter and sized to each bin, which is what keeps the bag out of sight. It is also a running cost, in exactly the way simplehuman's coded liners are. The alternatives on this page are split: some take ordinary bags, some have codes of their own, and the table below says which.

If you want the two premium brands compared directly rather than replaced, simplehuman vs Brabantia does that on build and warranty, and is simplehuman worth it? asks the same question of the other side.

How we picked

We did not test these to destruction and we are not going to pretend otherwise. What we did was take the three things Brabantia is actually sold on - guarantee, lid mechanism and liner system - and find the bin in our registry that best answers each one, then check every pick is currently in stock with a live price.

Build first. A bin that replaces a ten-year bin has to have a pedal mechanism worth trusting. That ruled out most of the budget bracket for the top spot.
Liner honesty second. Where a pick carries its own coded liner, we say so rather than burying it, because that is the cost people are trying to escape.
Then size and shape. A 36-liter Bo is a mid-size bin. We included both smaller and larger options because the household that outgrows a Brabantia is a real reason to switch.
Availability last, but absolutely. Every pick here resolved to a live listing with a current price on the day this page was written.

The picks in full

01 — Best overall

simplehuman 45L Rectangular Step Can with Liner Pocket

The kitchen can that solves bag fit properly, with a pedal rated for 150,000 steps and a liner pocket that ends the hunt for the box under the sink.

Capacity: 45 liters / 11.9 gallons
Liner code: Code Q
Pedal rating: 150,000 steps (manufacturer figure)
Lid: Soft-close, damped (Lid Shox)
Body: Brushed stainless steel or dent-proof plastic
Inner bucket: None — liner pocket instead, so more usable volume

Two things separate this from everything at half the price. The first is the liner pocket: a slot inside the can that stores the roll and dispenses the next bag as you pull the full one out. The second is that simplehuman publishes a code letter for each can and sells a liner cut to that exact size, so the bag sits flush instead of hanging four inches over the rim. The steel pedal is rated at 150,000 steps and the Lid Shox damper closes it slowly and silently rather than letting it clap shut.

What we'd flag: the custom-fit liners are the point, and they cost meaningfully more per bag than a supermarket box. A generic 13-gallon bag physically works but undoes the tidiest thing about the can. Budget for the liners or buy something else.

$149.99 · View on Amazon

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

02 — 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

03 — 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

04 — 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

05 — Best small-kitchen recycler

Joseph Joseph Totem Compact 40L Waste and Recycling Unit

The Totem shrunk for a small kitchen, keeping the food caddy and the carbon filters.

Total capacity: 40 liters / 10.6 gallons
Compartments: 2 x 20 L plus a 3 L removable food caddy
Odor control: Replaceable activated carbon filters

Two 20-liter compartments plus the 3-liter caddy is the smallest genuinely three-stream unit we found. In an apartment where the alternative is a bag of recycling propped by the door, that is a meaningful upgrade.

What we'd flag: 20 liters per stream means frequent emptying, and the compact body makes the lower compartment tighter to get a hand into than the Max.

$183.99 · View on Amazon

$230.00 · 20% off · Price as of November 14, 2026. #ad How we make money

06 — 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

Who each alternative is for

Pick	What it matches Brabantia on	Lid	Liner
simplehuman 45L Rectangular Step	Premium build and a hidden bag	Steel pedal, soft-close	Coded custom-fit
Kohler 13-Gallon Step (K-20940)	Metal pedal and a lid that stays open	Metal pedal, slow-close	Standard 13 gal
EKO Madison 13.2 Gallon Step	The understated stainless look, for much less	Pedal, soft-close	Standard 13 gal
EKO Hudson 75L / 20 Gallon Step	Damped lid, far more capacity	Steel pedal, damped	Standard 20 gal
Joseph Joseph Totem Compact 40L	Two streams in one premium unit	Lid and drawer	IW coded liners
Amazon Basics 13.2 Gallon Soft-Close	The budget pick - soft-close, stainless	Pedal, soft-close	Standard 13 gal

Warranty terms, lid mechanisms and liner systems are each manufacturer's own published figures; sources are listed below.

The pattern in that last column is the one to notice. Three of the six take ordinary supermarket bags, which over the life of the bin is a larger saving than the gap between any two of these purchase prices.

If it is the touch lid you want

This is the one Brabantia feature with no real substitute in this list, so it deserves a straight answer: if you specifically want a press-the-panel lid with no pedal, buy the Brabantia. Every alternative here is a foot pedal, and a pedal is a different daily experience.

A pedal frees your hands and is easier with a full plate, which is why it dominates the category.
A touch lid is quieter and has no linkage under the bin to fail - the trade is that you need a free hand.
A sensor lid is the third option and solves the full-hands problem differently - the best touchless trash cans covers it, and step can vs touchless trash can sets the trade out in a page.

And if the bin is going somewhere a premium one would be wasted - a utility room, a rental, a second can - the sensible move is not an alternative to Brabantia at all. The best kitchen trash cans under $100 is the bracket where that purchase lives.

The two ends of this page: the simplehuman if you want a bin at the same standard, the Amazon Basics if you want most of the daily experience for a small fraction of the price.

Best overall

simplehuman 45L Rectangular Step Can with Liner Pocket

The kitchen can that solves bag fit properly, with a pedal rated for 150,000 steps and a liner pocket that ends the hunt for the box under the sink.

$149.99 · View on Amazon

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

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

Common questions

What is the best alternative to a Brabantia bin?

The simplehuman 45L Rectangular Step Can. It is the closest like-for-like swap on build - a steel pedal, a soft-close lid and a liner pocket that hides the bag the way Brabantia's does.

Is there a cheap Brabantia alternative?

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

Does anything match Brabantia's 10-year guarantee?

No bin on this page does. Brabantia publishes ten years on the Bo range; simplehuman publishes five, and most of the rest are one to two. If the guarantee is why you were looking, buy the Brabantia.

Do I have to use Brabantia PerfectFit bags?

They are what keeps the bag out of sight in a Brabantia, and they are a recurring cost. Three of the six alternatives here take ordinary supermarket bags instead, which is the larger long-term saving.

Is there a touch-lid alternative to the Bo Touch?

Not in this list - every alternative here uses a foot pedal. If a press-the-panel lid with no pedal is specifically what you want, the Brabantia is the bin that does it.

Is Brabantia better than simplehuman?

They are close, and they win on different things: Brabantia on the published guarantee, simplehuman on the pedal and liner system. Our direct comparison goes through both in detail.

What if I need a bigger bin than a Brabantia Bo?

The Bo Touch is 36 liters, which is mid-size. The EKO Hudson at 75 liters is the large-capacity option on this page, and it keeps the damped lid.

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

What Brabantia is known for

How we picked

The picks in full

simplehuman 45L Rectangular Step Can with Liner Pocket

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

EKO Madison 13.2 Gallon Step Trash Can

EKO Hudson 75L / 20 Gallon Step Trash Can

Joseph Joseph Totem Compact 40L Waste and Recycling Unit

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

Who each alternative is for

If it is the touch lid you want

simplehuman 45L Rectangular Step Can with Liner Pocket

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

Common questions

What is the best alternative to a Brabantia bin?

Is there a cheap Brabantia alternative?

Does anything match Brabantia's 10-year guarantee?

Do I have to use Brabantia PerfectFit bags?

Is there a touch-lid alternative to the Bo Touch?

Is Brabantia better than simplehuman?

What if I need a bigger bin than a Brabantia Bo?

Sources

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