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Outdoor Trash Cans

The best 96 gallon trash cans

Three carts at the biggest standard curbside size, ranked on construction and how they handle when full. The top pick is the Toter 96-gallon two-wheel cart.

By Ryder M. · Last reviewed September 29, 2026

Large wheeled waste container standing outdoors

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The short answer

Buy the Toter 96 Gallon Two-Wheel Cart if you want the residential standard, and the Rubbermaid BRUTE Rollout 95 if the can lives at a business, a rental property or anywhere it will be handled roughly. The third entry here is a 64 — because for a meaningful share of people searching this, it is the right answer.

#ProductBest forPrice
01
Large 96 gallon wheeled waste cart
Toter Heavy Duty Two-Wheel Trash Cart, 96 GallonThe 96-gallon cart: the biggest size most automated collection trucks will lift, for households that fill a 64 every week.
Best large capacity
02
Large commercial rollout waste container with a hinged lid
Rubbermaid Commercial BRUTE Rollout Container, 95 GallonThe commercial 95-gallon rollout: a hinged lid that locks back, eight-inch wheels, and compliance with the auto-lifter standard.
Best heavy-duty large cart
03
Two-wheel rolling outdoor trash cart at the curb
Toter Heavy Duty Two-Wheel Trash Cart, 64 GallonThe cart most municipalities issue, sold retail: rotationally molded, ten-year warranty, and a lid hinged to the body.
Best outdoor cart overall

Ninety-six gallons is the largest size most automated collection trucks will lift, which is why it is a standard at all. It is not a premium size or a heavy-duty size; it is simply the top of the range, and it comes with one very real drawback that nobody mentions at the point of sale.

How we picked

We have not lived with these carts. What we did was compare published construction methods, lid designs, wheel specifications and warranties for the 95 and 96-gallon carts we could confirm are currently sold to consumers. Methodology, disclosure.

The criteria: whether the body is seamless, because a seam is where a large cart splits; whether the lid is attached and stays out of the way when open; wheel size and whether the cart can climb a curb; compliance with the automated-lifter standard, because a cart your hauler cannot lift is useless; and warranty.

We also gave real weight to how the cart behaves when full, which no specification sheet covers. That is the reason the 64-gallon cart appears on a page about 96-gallon cans rather than being quietly left out.

The picks in full

Large 96 gallon wheeled waste cart

01 — Best large capacity

Toter Heavy Duty Two-Wheel Trash Cart, 96 Gallon

The 96-gallon cart: the biggest size most automated collection trucks will lift, for households that fill a 64 every week.

Capacity
96 gallons
Construction
Advanced rotational molding
Wheels
Two
Warranty
10 years

If you are putting a second can out every collection day, one 96 costs less than two 64s, takes less driveway and gets emptied in one lift. Same rotationally molded construction, same Rugged Rim, same ten-year warranty.

What we'd flag: a full 96-gallon cart is genuinely heavy to steer, and if your driveway has a slope or a step this is the wrong size whatever the arithmetic says. Check your hauler accepts 96s before buying, too.

Large commercial rollout waste container with a hinged lid

02 — Best heavy-duty large cart

Rubbermaid Commercial BRUTE Rollout Container, 95 Gallon

The commercial 95-gallon rollout: a hinged lid that locks back, eight-inch wheels, and compliance with the auto-lifter standard.

Capacity
95 gallons
Lid
Attached, hinged, locks back when open
Wheels
8" heavy-duty
Standard
ANSI Z245.60 for auto-lifter compatibility
Material
Heavy-duty polyethylene
Warranty
10 years against manufacturing defects

This is the container restaurants and back-of-house operations buy, which tells you how it is built. The lid is hinged to the body, swings back and locks there so it is not in your way while you load. The wheels are large enough to roll over a curb or a step rather than jamming on it, and the Rollout family is built to ANSI Z245.60 so automated and semi-automated truck lifters can take it. Rubbermaid states a ten-year warranty against manufacturing defects.

What we'd flag: a full 95-gallon container is heavy enough to get away from you on a slope, and the commercial styling is not subtle. This is a side-return or alley can, not a front-of-house one.

Two-wheel rolling outdoor trash cart at the curb

03 — Best outdoor cart overall

Toter Heavy Duty Two-Wheel Trash Cart, 64 Gallon

The cart most municipalities issue, sold retail: rotationally molded, ten-year warranty, and a lid hinged to the body.

Capacity
64 gallons
Construction
Advanced rotational molding, one piece
Rim
Rugged Rim, reinforced
Base
Bottom wear strip
Wheels
Two
Warranty
10 years

Toter builds these with an advanced rotational molding process — one seamless piece with a reinforced Rugged Rim and a bottom wear strip, which is why they survive being dragged across concrete and tipped by an automated truck arm. The attached hinged lid is the security feature that matters most: a raccoon cannot knock a lid off a can when the lid is part of the can. The lower handle height also makes it easier to tilt than it looks.

What we'd flag: an attached hinged lid is not a locked lid. A determined raccoon can still lever it open, which is why this pairs with a strap rather than replacing one.

Before you buy the biggest cart

Check your hauler takes it

Many municipalities issue a specific cart and will only lift that one; some contracted haulers cap the size they service. A cart the truck will not lift is a very expensive storage bin, and this is a five-minute phone call.

Walk the route with a tape measure

A 96 is both wider and taller than a 64, and the failures are geometric: a side gate too narrow, a gap between house and fence that no longer fits, a garage door frame. Measure the storage spot and every gap on the way to the curb.

Slope is the deciding factor

A full 96-gallon cart on a sloped or gravel drive is genuinely difficult to control, and you will be moving it every week for the next decade. If your drive slopes, two 64s are easier to live with than one 96 even though they take more space. The full comparison.

Plan for the smell in summer

A cart that takes a full week to fill sits a full week in the heat, and odor is driven by time and temperature rather than volume. At this size a deodorizer and an occasional rinse are not optional extras. What actually works on an outdoor can.

Which one for which property

If this is youBuyWhy
Standard residential curbsideToter 96 Gallon Two-Wheel CartSeamless rotational molding, ten-year warranty
A business, rental or rough handlingRubbermaid BRUTE Rollout 95 GallonCommercial build, 8" wheels, lid locks back
Your driveway slopesToter 64 Gallon Two-Wheel CartSame build, a size one adult can control

If you are buying at this size because loose bags keep ending up beside your current can, fix that first: overflow beside a can is what brings animals, and a bigger cart only helps if the overflow actually fits inside it.

Common questions

What is the best 96 gallon trash can?

The Toter 96 Gallon Two-Wheel Cart. It is one seamless rotationally molded piece with a reinforced rim, the lid is hinged to the body, and Toter states a ten-year warranty and a 15 to 20 year service life.

How many bags fit in a 96 gallon trash can?

Roughly six 13-gallon kitchen bags uncompacted, though in practice people fit more because bags settle. It is about half again the capacity of a 64-gallon cart.

Is a 96 gallon cart too heavy to move?

Full of household waste it is heavy enough that slope becomes the deciding factor. On a flat, wide drive most adults manage fine; on a sloped or gravel drive, two 64-gallon carts are the easier life.

What is the difference between 95 and 96 gallon carts?

Essentially nothing in use - it is how each manufacturer rounds the same nominal size. Rubbermaid's commercial Rollout is stated as 95 gallons, Toter's residential cart as 96, and both are lifted by the same automated arms.

Will my hauler collect a 96 gallon cart?

Usually, since it is the largest standard automated size, but many municipalities only lift the cart they issued. Confirm before buying, especially if your collection is contracted rather than municipal.

Do 96 gallon carts smell worse?

In practice, yes, because a cart that takes a week to fill sits a week in the weather. Odor is driven by time and temperature rather than volume, so plan on a deodorizer and an occasional rinse in summer.

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.