The best kitchen trash cans under $100

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.

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.

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.

The reason most households stay on 13 gallons is not that 13 is enough — it is that 20-gallon cans are usually commercial-looking drums. This is a 20-gallon body on a footprint Glad lists at about 16 by 16 inches, so it takes a cabinet-end or pantry-wall slot the way a tall 13-gallon can does, and finds the extra volume in height. The lid is damped rather than free-falling, the Clorox odor protection sits on the lid, and a bag roll holder keeps the next liner at the can. It takes 20-gallon liners, which is the part people forget to budget for.

iTouchless builds an activated-carbon AbsorbX filter into the lid rather than selling it as an accessory, which is the right call — the lid is where the smell sits. A 12-inch opening takes a standard 13-gallon bag, there is a lid lock to keep pets and children out, and the base is non-skid. It runs on four D cells, or an AC adapter sold separately.

A pedal is the part that fails on a cheap can. The TouchTop deletes it — the lid is held shut by a spring latch and opens when you push the panel, so the only moving part is the latch itself. That matters in a household with pets or a toddler, because a latched lid resists a nose or a hand in a way a free-hinged lid does not. Sterilite lists it for standard 13-gallon liners, the rectangular base sits flat against a wall, and the smooth-textured body actually wipes clean.