Four cans that live under the fifty-dollar line, ranked on what the money buys. The top pick is the Sterilite 11.9 Gallon StepOn, and the one worth stretching for is a damped lid.
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02
The short answer
Buy the Sterilite 11.9 Gallon StepOn if the can just needs to work, and the Amazon Basics 13.2 Gallon if you can get it under the line, because it is the cheapest way to get a genuinely damped lid. Everything else here is a specific case.
#
Product
Best for
Price
01
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.
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.
Sterilite 12.6 Gallon Locking Lid StepOn WastebasketThe cheapest real answer to a dog: a step can whose lid locks onto the base and holds even when the can is knocked over.
We have not lived with all four. What we did was identify which features survive at this price and which do not, then rank the cans on how much of the surviving list each one delivers. Methodology, disclosure.
Under fifty dollars you can reliably get: a foot pedal, a hinged lid, a body that takes a standard 13-gallon liner, and sometimes a lock or a soft-close damper. You cannot get: a published pedal cycle rating, a fitted liner system, a liner pocket, or a stated warranty worth reading. Knowing which side of that line a feature sits on is most of the decision.
We ignored star ratings and review counts entirely — they are not comparable across retailers and quoting them would imply we had verified them. Every can here is one we confirmed is currently sold.
04
The picks in full
01 — 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.
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.
Sterilite 12.6 Gallon Locking Lid StepOn Wastebasket
The cheapest real answer to a dog: a step can whose lid locks onto the base and holds even when the can is knocked over.
Capacity
12.6 gallons
Lock
Lid locks to the base
Liners
Standard 13-gallon
Shape
D-shaped, flat back
Body
Plastic
Most pet-proofing advice is about weight, which does not survive a determined labrador. This is a mechanical lock between lid and body, so the can can be tipped, dragged and nosed and the lid stays on. Unlock it and the pedal works normally. The D-shaped body sits flat against a wall or a cabinet run, and it takes a standard 13-gallon liner.
What we'd flag: it is thin plastic, and a big dog will still move it around the kitchen. It stops the trash coming out, not the can going over.
A 16.5-gallon open-top bin for a utility room, workshop or garage, where volume beats containment.
Capacity
16.5 gallons
Lid
None
Material
Polypropylene with brushed metallic accents
Open cans get a bad press because people put food in them. Put packaging, offcuts or yard waste in one and the lack of a lid is purely an advantage — nothing to lift, nothing to break, and you can drop things in one-handed from across the room.
What we'd flag: 16.5 gallons is bigger than a standard 13-gallon bag. You will need oversized liners, and this trips people up constantly.
Budget cans use a molded plastic lever on a plastic pin, and the pin is what snaps — usually in the second year, usually without warning. Premium cans publish a cycle rating precisely because they expect the part to survive; nothing at this price publishes one. Treat a sub-$50 can as a three-to-five year purchase and price it accordingly.
A damped lid, if you are lucky
This is the one feature worth stretching the budget for. An undamped lid closes with a crack, and in an open-plan kitchen or a galley under a bedroom that noise is why working cans get replaced. A soft-close damper is a real mechanical part, and the cheapest cans that have it are the ones sitting right at the top of this bracket.
Standard bags, which is a real advantage
Nothing at this price uses proprietary liners, and that is a point in its favor. A $200 can with a liner subscription has a running cost; a $30 can takes whatever is on offer at the supermarket. Over five years that difference is not trivial. Fitted liners versus standard bags.
Plastic, and that is mostly fine
Plastic scuffs and eventually discolors; steel dents and holds fingerprints. Neither is obviously better and the honest difference in year one is negligible. What plastic genuinely gives you is survival — a knocked-over plastic can is fine, a knocked-over steel one has a permanent dent.
06
Which one for which kitchen
If this is you
Buy
Why
You want the cheapest thing that works
Sterilite 11.9 Gallon StepOn
Pedal, hinged lid, takes a 13-gallon liner
Lid noise would drive you mad
Amazon Basics 13.2 Gallon
Soft-close lid and a removable inner bucket
You have a dog
Sterilite 12.6 Gallon Locking Lid StepOn
The lid locks to the base and holds when tipped
It is for a garage or utility room
Umbra Venti 16.5 Gallon
Big, open-top, nothing to break
If what you actually want is the best can your money can buy rather than the cheapest that works, that is a different question and we answered it separately: the best kitchen trash cans for the money.
07
Common questions
What is the best kitchen trash can under $50?
The Sterilite 11.9 Gallon StepOn covers the actual function - pedal, lid, standard 13-gallon liner - for the least money. If you can stretch to the top of the bracket, the Amazon Basics 13.2 Gallon adds a soft-close lid, which is the feature most worth having.
Are cheap trash cans worth buying?
For most rooms, yes. What you give up is a rated pedal mechanism and a damped lid. What you keep is standard bags, a body that survives being knocked over, and the freedom to replace it in four years without regret.
Why do you not show prices on this page?
Because a price printed on a page goes stale within days and a stale price is worse than none. Every product links to its current listing so you see the live number. Check it against the $50 cap before you buy.
What is the first feature to pay extra for?
A soft-close lid. An undamped lid closes with a crack every time, and in an open-plan kitchen that is the single most common reason a working can gets replaced early.
Will a cheap can last?
Three to five years is a realistic expectation. The failure is almost always the pedal linkage at the pin. Nothing in this bracket publishes a cycle rating, which is itself the answer.
Plastic or stainless steel at this price?
Plastic. Stainless at the bottom of the market is a thin skin over the same plastic mechanism, and it adds fingerprints and dents to the list of things that will bother you.
08
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.
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.
