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Is it unhygienic to mount a kitchen waste caddy in a pan cupboard?

9 replies

BinBother · 24/05/2026 12:17

In a new house, and it'll be a while before I can undertake any remodeling or renovation of the kitchen.

I don't like large free-standing pedal bins, but prefer a smaller caddy-sized bin mounted inside a cupboard door -ideally the door to the cupboard under the sink as I only store cleaning products there. I'd normally empty this bin every other day, using biodegradable bags.

In this house the sink and drainer are on a short wall by themselves with no adjacent surfaces. The main food prep area is on a worktop above a double cupboard I'll be using to store utensils. I like having my little kitchen bin under the surface where I prep food, so my question is: is it a bit grim to mount a bin inside the door of a 'pots and pans' cupboard? I'll be putting away food waste in the compost caddy outside, and recycling in the outdoor organiser, so the bin in the cupboard will be mainly for non-recyclable food packaging. We're largely vegetarian, so there's rarely any meat packaging.

OP posts:
PrizedPickledPopcorn · 24/05/2026 13:09

Does it have a lid?

SamphiretheTervosaur · 24/05/2026 13:20

Mine is in a drawer we put in the under sink cupboard - it's deep and we couldn't reach the back

Spillages on cleaning stuff doesn't bother me. Maybe it's down to what else is in the drawer

HedgehogsOnTheWall · 24/05/2026 13:22

Just put it on the worktop like a normal person, surely?

ETA Sorry, thought you were only taking about the food waste bin. If it's a general waste bin I think a pedal bin on the floor is far better than one inside a cupboard.

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rubyslippers · 24/05/2026 15:00

If it has a lid and is emptied each day it’s fine

BinBother · 24/05/2026 17:31

PrizedPickledPopcorn · 24/05/2026 13:09

Does it have a lid?

Yes, a lid with a kind of 'soft close' mechanism.

OP posts:
BinBother · 24/05/2026 17:32

SamphiretheTervosaur · 24/05/2026 13:20

Mine is in a drawer we put in the under sink cupboard - it's deep and we couldn't reach the back

Spillages on cleaning stuff doesn't bother me. Maybe it's down to what else is in the drawer

I love the idea of having it in a drawer, but don't have drawers under this part of the counter. That's something to think about.

OP posts:
BinBother · 24/05/2026 17:39

HedgehogsOnTheWall · 24/05/2026 13:22

Just put it on the worktop like a normal person, surely?

ETA Sorry, thought you were only taking about the food waste bin. If it's a general waste bin I think a pedal bin on the floor is far better than one inside a cupboard.

Edited

I have always had the bin mounted inside a cupboard -it's common in the European country I'm from. Just not the pan cupboard, which is what I can't decide about. I like the work surfaces as clear as possible, so no compost caddy on the counter either. A pedal bin is just another thing in the kitchen to wipe down and clean around, the DC are invariably messy.

OP posts:
PrizedPickledPopcorn · 24/05/2026 17:57

Our bin is in a cupboard under the sink. The food caddy is supposed to be attached to the door but I can’t make it stay. It has a lid.

SamphiretheTervosaur · 25/05/2026 16:46

BinBother · 24/05/2026 17:32

I love the idea of having it in a drawer, but don't have drawers under this part of the counter. That's something to think about.

It is a cupboard. DH added runners and an internal drawer about an inch off the base, he did the same with another cupboard we couldn't reach the back of, put 2 drawers in it. We have another with 1 shelf, 1 x drawer

Could be a solution for your space

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