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Kitchen Trash Cans

The best kitchen trash cans for the money

Five cans ranked on cost per year of service rather than sticker price. The best value is the Kohler K-20940, because it buys premium hardware without a liner subscription.

By Ryder M. · Last reviewed September 29, 2026

Modern kitchen cabinets and counter in daylight

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The short answer

Buy the Kohler 13-Gallon Stainless Steel Step Can if you want the best return per dollar, and the EKO Madison if you want the highest published pedal rating for less. The simplehuman 45L is here as the honest upper bound: it is the most can, and whether it is the best value depends entirely on whether the liner cost bothers you.

#ProductBest forPrice
01
Fingerprint-resistant stainless steel 13 gallon step trash can
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
02
Brushed stainless steel step trash can with a foot pedal
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
03
Brushed stainless steel budget 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
04
Plain plastic step-on kitchen wastebasket
Sterilite 11.9 Gallon StepOn WastebasketThe plain plastic step can that does the job: a pedal, a hinged lid, and room for an ordinary 13-gallon bag.
Best cheapest step can
05
Brushed stainless steel rectangular kitchen step trash can
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

Value in this category is not the cheapest can. It is the lowest total cost over the years you keep it, and that total has three parts: what you pay, what the bags cost, and how soon the pedal fails. A can that lasts ten years on supermarket bags beats a cheaper can replaced twice and a pricier one on a liner subscription.

How we picked

We do not have these cans on a bench. What we did was compare the specifications each manufacturer is willing to publish — pedal cycle ratings, lid mechanisms, bag compatibility, warranty — and work out which of them actually predict a can's useful life. Methodology, disclosure.

The criteria: published pedal rating, because the linkage is what fails; whether the lid is damped, because lid noise is the most common reason a working can is thrown out; whether it takes standard bags, because a liner subscription is a recurring cost most value comparisons ignore; whether the body survives being knocked over; and what the brand is willing to guarantee.

We did not rank on price, because we do not publish prices — every product links to its live listing so you see today's number. What we can do is tell you where each dollar goes, which is the part that does not change week to week.

The picks in full

Fingerprint-resistant stainless steel 13 gallon step trash can

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
Fingerprint-resistant stainless steel

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.

Brushed stainless steel step trash can with a foot pedal

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.

Brushed stainless steel budget step trash can

03 — 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.

Plain plastic step-on kitchen wastebasket

04 — Best cheapest step can

Sterilite 11.9 Gallon StepOn Wastebasket

The plain plastic step can that does the job: a pedal, a hinged lid, and room for an ordinary 13-gallon bag.

Capacity
11.9 gallons
Liners
Large 13-gallon
Lid
Hinged, not damped
Pedal
Foot
Body
Plastic

Most of what people spend on a kitchen can buys finish and damping. If neither matters where the can lives — a garage, a utility room, a rental you are leaving — this covers the actual function for a fraction of it. It takes a large 13-gallon liner, the pedal opens the lid hands-free, and it is light enough to carry out one-handed.

What we'd flag: the lid is not damped. It closes with a clack, and in a kitchen that shares a wall with a bedroom you will notice that every night.

Brushed stainless steel rectangular kitchen step trash can

05 — 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.

How to work out value yourself

Add the bags to the price of the can

A fitted liner system is genuinely better — the bag sits flush instead of overhanging — and it is genuinely a recurring cost for as long as you own the can. Take the liner price, multiply by how many bags a year you go through, and multiply by five. Then compare. Quite often the premium can is still ahead; sometimes it is not even close. The arithmetic in full.

A published cycle rating is the only durability signal there is

simplehuman states 150,000 steps. EKO states over 200,000. Those are manufacturer figures rather than independent test results, but a brand willing to print one expects the part to survive, and nothing in the budget bracket prints one at all. In a category with no independent testing, the willingness to publish is the signal.

Count the years you will actually keep it

If you are in a rental you will leave in two years, the ten-year can is not better value, it is just more expensive. If this is the kitchen you will be in for a decade, a can replaced three times costs more than the good one and annoys you in between.

The cheap upgrade almost nobody makes

If your current can is structurally fine but smells, the highest-return spend in this whole category is a carbon filter pod and twenty minutes with hot water and dish soap. That is a fraction of any can here and it fixes the actual complaint. Filters, explained honestly.

Which one for which buyer

If this is youBuyWhy
You want the best all-round returnKohler 13-Gallon Step CanMetal pedal, damped stay-open lid, standard bags
You buy on published specificationsEKO Madison 13.2 Gallon200,000+ step rating at a mid price
You want damping for as little as possibleAmazon Basics 13.2 GallonSoft-close lid near the bottom of the market
You are moving out within two yearsSterilite 11.9 Gallon StepOnCovers the function, costs almost nothing
Bag fit and lid noise genuinely bother yousimplehuman 45L Rectangular Step CanLiner pocket and Lid Shox, at a liner cost

If your ceiling is firm rather than flexible, we ranked the sub-$50 bracket separately: the best kitchen trash cans under $50.

Common questions

What is the best kitchen trash can for the money?

The Kohler K-20940. It gives you a metal pedal, a damped stay-open lid and a fingerprint-resistant finish while still taking ordinary 13-gallon bags, so there is no recurring liner cost attached to it.

Are expensive trash cans worth it?

The premium buys a rated steel pedal linkage, a damped lid and a fitted liner system. If your can is loud or its pedal has broken, you are paying to fix exactly that. If your current can works and you want it to look better, the case is much weaker.

How long should a kitchen trash can last?

Three to five years for a budget can, eight to ten for one with a published pedal rating. The failure is almost always the pedal linkage rather than the body, which is why the cycle rating is the spec to compare.

Do proprietary liners change the value calculation?

Substantially. Multiply the liner price by your annual bag count and by the years you will keep the can, then add it to the sticker price. Sometimes the premium can still wins; often it does not.

Is stainless steel worth paying for?

Only for looks. Steel dents and shows fingerprints, plastic scuffs and discolors, and neither fails structurally. Spend the difference on a damped lid or a rated pedal instead.

Why does this site not show prices?

Because a printed price goes stale within days and a stale price is worse than none at all. Every product links out to its live listing, so the number you see is the number you pay today.

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 September 29, 2026. Spotted an error? Tell us and we will correct it and note the correction.