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Outdoor Trash Cans

The best garage trash cans

The garage is the hardest place in the house to keep a can, because heat, no ventilation and a week of waiting all compound. The top pick is the Rubbermaid BRUTE 32 Gallon with the vented lid.

By Ryder M. · Last reviewed October 4, 2026

Tidy garage workshop with a bin beside the workbench

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The short answer

Buy the Rubbermaid Commercial BRUTE 32 Gallon with the lid if the garage can stays put and you carry bags out to a cart. Buy the Toter 64 Gallon Two-Wheel Cart if the garage can *is* your curbside cart and it needs to roll out on collection day. Both answers beat the thing most garages actually have, which is a lidless can with a bag draped over the rim.

#ProductBest forPrice
01
Rubbermaid Commercial BRUTE 32 Gallon Vented Container
Rubbermaid Commercial BRUTE 32 Gallon Vented ContainerThe commercial standard, and the only can here that solves the vacuum-stuck bag properly.
Best for bag removal
$60.69 · View on Amazon

Price as of October 16, 2026.  #ad How we make money

02
Toter Heavy Duty Two-Wheel Trash Cart, 64 Gallon
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
$177.25 · View on Amazon

$186.95 · 5% off · Price as of October 16, 2026.  #ad How we make money

03
NATUREPON 45 Gallon Wheeled Outdoor Trash Can with Locking Lid
NATUREPON 45 Gallon Wheeled Outdoor Trash Can with Locking LidForty-five gallons, two wheels and a lid that clicks into the rim — the cheap wheeled can that does not lose its lid.
Best budget wheeled can
$42.99 · View on Amazon

Price as of October 16, 2026.  #ad How we make money

04
Umbra Vento Open Top Kitchen Trash Can, 16.5 Gallon
Umbra Vento Open Top Kitchen Trash Can, 16.5 GallonA 16.5-gallon open-top bin for a utility room, workshop or garage, where volume beats containment.
Best large open can
$50.00 · View on Amazon

Price as of October 16, 2026.  #ad How we make money

How we picked

A garage can has a different job description from a kitchen can. It holds more, it waits longer, it sits in heat, and at some point it has to get to the curb. We ranked on those four things in that order, and we weighted the lid heavily — a lid that actually seats is the difference between a garage that smells and one that does not. Methodology, disclosure.

We did not rank on looks, because nobody has ever cared what the garage can looks like, and we ignored star ratings and review counts entirely. Every pick is a model we confirmed is currently sold.

The picks in full

Rubbermaid Commercial BRUTE 32 Gallon Vented Container

01 — Best for bag removal

Rubbermaid Commercial BRUTE 32 Gallon Vented Container

The commercial standard, and the only can here that solves the vacuum-stuck bag properly.

Capacity
32 gallons
Venting
Molded channels — liners up to 50% easier to remove
Bag retention
Integrated cinches
Lid
Flat top with snap-lock, separate part
Base
Heavy-duty reinforced
Standards
NSF 2 and 21; USDA Meat and Poultry listed

Anyone who has fought a wet bag out of a smooth-sided can knows the problem: suction. Rubbermaid molds venting channels into the BRUTE's walls that let air in behind the bag, and states liners come out up to 50% more easily as a result. Integrated cinches let you tie the bag to the handles without knotting it. It meets NSF 2 and 21 and is USDA Meat and Poultry listed, which tells you the surface genuinely cleans.

What we'd flag: no wheels and no attached lid at this size. The snap-lock lid holds, but it is a separate part — which means it is a part that gets left on the ground and blows down the street.

$60.69 · View on Amazon

Price as of October 16, 2026.  #ad How we make money

Toter Heavy Duty Two-Wheel Trash Cart, 64 Gallon

02 — 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.

$177.25 · View on Amazon

$186.95 · 5% off · Price as of October 16, 2026.  #ad How we make money

NATUREPON 45 Gallon Wheeled Outdoor Trash Can with Locking Lid

03 — Best budget wheeled can

NATUREPON 45 Gallon Wheeled Outdoor Trash Can with Locking Lid

Forty-five gallons, two wheels and a lid that clicks into the rim — the cheap wheeled can that does not lose its lid.

Capacity
45 gallons
Dimensions
26.09" L x 21.69" W x 33.7" H
Weight
11 lb empty
Lid
Attached, clicks into the rim
Wheels
Two, with an easy-grip handle
Material
Impact-resistant polypropylene, seamless body

Not every household needs a municipal-grade cart, but almost every household needs the lid to stay on. This one attaches to the body and clicks into place, which handles wind and casual animal interest for a fraction of what a commercial rollout costs. The body is a single impact-resistant polypropylene moulding with no seams to leak, the base is reinforced so it takes being dragged, and there is a groove under the bottom edge for the lift-and-pour at the curb.

What we'd flag: a click-lock lid is not a certified animal-resistant latch, and the manufacturer's "animal-proof" wording oversells it. A determined raccoon, and certainly a bear, will get past it — if that is your problem, add a lid lock. It is also a no-name brand rather than a line with a decade of field history.

$42.99 · View on Amazon

Price as of October 16, 2026.  #ad How we make money

Umbra Vento Open Top Kitchen Trash Can, 16.5 Gallon

04 — Best large open can

Umbra Vento Open Top Kitchen Trash Can, 16.5 Gallon

A 16.5-gallon open-top bin for a utility room, workshop or garage, where volume beats containment.

Capacity
16.5 gallons / 62 liters
Dimensions
14.6" L x 14.6" W x 30" H
Lid
None — open top
Bag
Integrated neck ring conceals the liner
Material
BPA-free polypropylene with brushed metal 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.

$50.00 · View on Amazon

Price as of October 16, 2026.  #ad How we make money

What a garage can actually needs

A lid that seats, not a lid that rests

Most garage cans have a lid sitting loose on the rim, which does almost nothing. What you want is either a lid that snaps to the rim or one hinged to the body so it cannot be nudged off by a bag, a bike or a raccoon that got in under the door. A seated lid is also the only thing standing between your garage and a fly population.

A week of capacity, not a day of it

The garage can exists because you do not want to walk to the curb every day. Size it for the full interval between collections and you will use it properly; size it small and you will end up with bags stacked beside it, which is the actual thing that makes a garage smell. Outdoor can sizes, compared.

Wheels, if it is also the curbside cart

Carrying a full 45-gallon bag down a driveway is how bags split. If the garage can is the cart that goes out, buy wheels and buy them big — small casters catch on the lip between the garage floor and the driveway. The wheeled cart roundup.

Something you can hose out

Garage cans get the things kitchen cans do not: paint rags, pet waste, the bag that leaked. A smooth-walled plastic can with no interior ribs washes in two minutes; a can with a textured interior never really comes clean. How to clean a trash can properly.

Which one for which garage

If this is youBuyWhy
The can stays in the garage permanentlyRubbermaid BRUTE 32 GallonVented body, snap-on lid, washes clean
It is also your curbside cartToter 64 Gallon Two-Wheel CartHinged lid, big wheels, hauler-compatible
You want wheels without a full-size cartNATUREPON 45 Gallon WheeledMid-size, venting channels, easy bag removal
You need overflow for cardboard and dry wasteUmbra Vento 16.5 GallonCheap, open-top, nothing to break

If animals are getting into the garage can rather than the curbside one, the fix is the door rather than the can — but a lid that latches buys you time. Lid locks and straps. The other room people furnish last is the one they work in. The best trash cans for an office applies the same logic as this page - match the bin to what the waste actually is - to desks, printers and break rooms.

Common questions

What is the best trash can for a garage?

The Rubbermaid Commercial BRUTE 32 Gallon with its lid, if the can stays put. It is vented so a wet bag comes out without suction, the lid snaps to the rim rather than resting on it, and the smooth interior hoses clean.

What size trash can should I keep in the garage?

Size it for the full gap between collections. For most households that is 32 to 64 gallons. Undersizing is what leads to bags stacked on the floor beside the can, which is the thing that actually makes a garage smell.

Why does my garage trash can smell so much worse than the kitchen one?

Heat and no air movement. Bacterial activity roughly doubles for every ten degrees of warmth and a closed garage gets far hotter than the shaded outdoors, with nothing to disperse what it produces.

Should a garage trash can have a lid?

Yes, and one that seats rather than rests. A loose lid does not stop flies, does not stop a raccoon that got under the door, and gets knocked off by anything leaning against the can.

Can I keep my curbside cart in the garage?

Yes, and in bear or raccoon country it is the best thing you can do. Buy a cart with real wheels so the trip out does not involve carrying a full bag, and rinse it occasionally.

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 October 4, 2026. Spotted an error? Tell us and we will correct it and note the correction.