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Lid & Liner
Outdoor Trash Cans

The best outdoor trash cans

Before you buy anything, check what your hauler collects and how — on automated collection the cart is effectively chosen for you and only the size is your decision.

By Ryder M. · Last reviewed September 27, 2026

Trash cans standing at a residential curb

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The short answer

The Toter 64-gallon two-wheel cart for most households: rotationally molded in one piece, an attached hinged lid, and a ten-year warranty. The Rubbermaid BRUTE 32 if you want the can that makes a stuck bag lift out.

#ProductBest forPrice
01
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
02
Gray commercial round trash container with a flat lid
Rubbermaid Commercial BRUTE 32 Gallon Vented Container with LidThe commercial standard, and the only can here that solves the vacuum-stuck bag properly.
Best for bag removal
03
Wicker-style resin outdoor trash container on a patio
Suncast Trash Hideaway Refuse Container, 33 GallonA latching-lid resin can with a wicker texture, for the deck or patio where a municipal cart would look wrong.
Best for patios and decks
04
Black wheeled outdoor trash can with a lid
Rubbermaid Roughneck Wheeled Trash Can, 45 GallonThe affordable wheeled outdoor can: 45 gallons, lid included, built from resin that does not shatter in cold.
Best budget wheeled can
05
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
06
Gray resin outdoor hideaway trash can
Suncast 39-Gallon Resin Outdoor Hideaway Trash CanThe larger Hideaway, for a patio that generates more than a 33 can hold between collections.
Best larger patio can

How we picked

Outdoor cans live a much harder life than indoor ones and fail differently, so the criteria are different too.

  • Construction method. Rotationally molded cans are one seamless piece with no joint to split. That is why they survive being dragged over concrete and tipped by a truck arm.
  • Lid attachment. An attached hinged lid is both an animal-resistance feature and a practical one — a loose lid blows down the street and a raccoon simply lifts it off.
  • Cold-weather behavior. Cheap outdoor cans crack at the rim on a hard freeze, which is where they actually die. Shatter-resistant resin matters more than thickness.
  • Bag removal. A wet bag in a smooth-sided can sticks by suction. It is a small thing until you are doing it weekly.
  • Published warranty. A genuine differentiator here: ten years on a Toter against 90 days on a Suncast.

Specifications come from manufacturer pages and live retailer listings; we have not weather-tested these cans and we say so. Methodology · disclosure.

The picks in full

Two-wheel rolling outdoor trash cart at the curb

01 — 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.

Gray commercial round trash container with a flat lid

02 — Best for bag removal

Rubbermaid Commercial BRUTE 32 Gallon Vented Container with Lid

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.

Wicker-style resin outdoor trash container on a patio

03 — Best for patios and decks

Suncast Trash Hideaway Refuse Container, 33 Gallon

A latching-lid resin can with a wicker texture, for the deck or patio where a municipal cart would look wrong.

Liner size
Standard 30-33 gallon liners
Exterior
17" W x 17" D x 31.5" H
Interior
14" W x 14" D x 26" H
Lid
Hinged, latching
Material
All-weather resin
Warranty
90 days general

The latch is the point: a hinged lid that clicks shut is a materially harder target for a raccoon than a lid resting on a rim. The wicker-style finish and the solid bottom panel mean it reads as outdoor furniture rather than refuse, which is why people will actually put it on a deck rather than hiding it down the side of the house. It assembles without tools.

What we'd flag: the general warranty is 90 days, which is very short for something living outdoors in UV and frost. Compare that against ten years on a Toter before you decide.

Black wheeled outdoor trash can with a lid

04 — Best budget wheeled can

Rubbermaid Roughneck Wheeled Trash Can, 45 Gallon

The affordable wheeled outdoor can: 45 gallons, lid included, built from resin that does not shatter in cold.

Capacity
45 gallons
Dimensions
22" W x 26" D x 37" H
Wheels
Two, built in
Lid
Included, not hinged
Material
Shatter-resistant resin

Not every household needs a municipal-grade cart. This is the sensible middle: enough capacity for a normal week, wheels so you are not carrying it, and shatter-resistant resin that survives a hard freeze — which is where cheap outdoor cans actually die, cracking at the rim on a cold morning.

What we'd flag: the lid is not hinged to the body. Without a strap it will come off in wind, and it will come off under a raccoon.

Large 96 gallon wheeled waste cart

05 — 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.

Gray resin outdoor hideaway trash can

06 — Best larger patio can

Suncast 39-Gallon Resin Outdoor Hideaway Trash Can

The larger Hideaway, for a patio that generates more than a 33 can hold between collections.

Capacity
39 gallons
Material
All-weather resin
Lid
Hinged

Same all-weather resin and the same discreet look, with meaningfully more capacity. For an outdoor kitchen or a household that entertains, the 33 fills in an afternoon and this does not.

What we'd flag: it is still a resin patio can, not a municipal cart. Do not expect it to survive being tipped by a truck arm or dragged loaded across gravel.

Curbside cart or free-standing can?

Wheeled cartFree-standing can
Automated collectionDesigned for itUsually cannot be lifted by the arm
LidAttached and hingedLoose, and it blows away
Moving it fullWheels do the workYou carry or drag it
Animal resistanceBetter — the lid stays onPoor without a strap
Typical warrantyUp to 10 years90 days to a few years
LooksMunicipalCan be made to look domestic
Best forCurbside collectionPatios, decks, side returns

The honest division is that a cart is for waste that goes to the curb and a free-standing can is for waste generated outdoors — a patio, a deck, a workshop. Trying to make one do the other's job is where people end up unhappy. A resin patio can at the curb gets destroyed by a truck arm; a municipal cart on a deck looks exactly like a municipal cart on a deck, which is why enclosures exist.

What actually kills an outdoor can

Not the thing people expect. In order of how often it happens:

  1. A crack at the rim in cold weather. Plastic gets brittle in a hard freeze, and the rim takes the load every time the can is tipped or the lid is forced. This is the commonest death and it is why shatter-resistant resin is specified rather than just thick plastic.
  2. The lid going missing. A loose lid is a separate object. It blows away, gets left on the ground, or gets driven over. A hinged attached lid cannot.
  3. A wheel or axle failing. On a cheap wheeled can the axle is a thin steel rod through molded plastic lugs, and those lugs are what shear when a full can is dragged up a curb.
  4. UV degradation. Years of sun makes resin chalky and brittle. It is slow, and it is what makes a ten-year warranty meaningful rather than decorative.
  5. Being eaten by a truck. Less common than it sounds, but if you put a can that was never designed for automated collection in front of an automated truck, the arm will find out.

Notice that none of those is the can wearing out from use. Outdoor cans are killed by weather, by the collection process, and by lid loss — so construction, lid attachment and warranty are the right things to buy on.

Animals, honestly

None of the cans on this page is animal-proof on its own, and we are not going to imply otherwise.

An attached hinged lid removes the easy win — a raccoon cannot knock a lid off a can when the lid is part of the can — and a latching lid like the Suncast's is a genuine step up from one resting on a rim. But a raccoon opens a bin by putting its weight on the rim and levering, and against that the answer is a tensioned strap on whatever can you already own. It is far cheaper than a new can and it is the first thing to try.

Two straps sized for outdoor cans. Fit one to the can you own before you consider replacing it. The full raccoon picture · bears are a different problem entirely.

Extra large bungee lid lock for a wheeled waste cart

Best for wheeled carts

Encased Extra Large Trash Can Lock (50-96 gallon cans)

The long version, sized for the 64 and 96-gallon wheeled carts a standard strap will not reach around.

Heavy duty rubber bungee strap for a garbage can lid

Best built strap

Blazer Brand Strong Strap Trash Can Bungee, 48 in

A 48-inch strap built from materials chosen for weather: an EPDM rubber core, polycarbonate hooks and stainless fasteners.

Common questions

What is the best outdoor trash can?

A Toter two-wheel cart in the size your hauler collects — rotationally molded in one piece, attached hinged lid, ten-year warranty. For a patio or deck where a municipal cart would look wrong, a latching-lid resin can instead.

What size outdoor trash can do I need?

Thirty-two gallons for one or two people, 64 for a typical family, 96 if you would otherwise put two cans out. Check your hauler accepts the size before buying — not all collect 96s.

Are expensive outdoor trash cans worth it?

The money buys rotational molding, an attached hinged lid and a long warranty, and those are exactly the three things that decide whether a can survives five winters. It is a more clear-cut case than with indoor cans.

Why do outdoor trash cans crack?

Cold. Plastic goes brittle in a hard freeze and the rim takes the load when the can is tipped or the lid forced. Shatter-resistant resin and one-piece rotational molding are the specifications that address it.

Can I use an indoor trash can outside?

Badly. Indoor cans are not UV-stabilized, their lids are not designed for wind, and steel ones rust at the seams. They also have no wheels, which matters more than you think once one is full.

Do I need a lid lock on an outdoor can?

If you have raccoons, yes — but try a strap on the can you already own before buying a new can. Check first that your hauler's automated arm can still service a strapped cart; some will skip it.

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 27, 2026. Spotted an error? Tell us and we will correct it and note the correction.