Are there any downsides to having your bins built in to the cupboards/drawers?

[ScreamingBeans]

Not sure whether to have freestanding or built in, any disadvantages to built in, do you spill bits of food all over the bottom of your cupboard or is it only good?

Great for recycling, which otherwise lives in a big pile, though I do also hate using up the cupboard space. Which is really a “would like a bigger house” issue than an issue with the pull-out itself.

Our ikea pull-out for food was great for the mice!

The cupboard does get messy, but the bins can be removed to clean.

My kitchen is now nearly 20 years old, but a significant downside for me when the mechanism breaks it is either impossible or vvvv expensive to replace.

They're also small for the cupboard space you sacrifice.

We had built in bins in our last kitchen, wouldn’t go for this option again, too small, forever emptying them. Ok for a couple but not for a family.

We looked at built in bins and they were all too small and wasted a cupboard.

We have a 2 section pedal bin for household/recycling. Food waste we have a small counter top that goes out frequently so not even worth putting away in a cupboard. I find, especially with ds but also dh, the more I hide the bins the less they recycle.

We have just replaced our freestanding Brabantia, (which we'd had for 20 years and which has been cluttering up the kitchen floor and irritating me daily) with a 2 bin pull out arrangement inside a cupboard. It's 2x 15litres capacity, so exactly the same as the 30litre capacity Brabantia, but very much neater. Husband also fitted a recyclables bin on the door inside the cupboard under the sink. Now all I need to do is replace the hideous grey plastic council food compost caddy with something nice to look at, like the Joseph Joseph one, and the kitchen is sorted. We built a shelter for the outdoor bins and hide the garden waste bin behind plants.

I am pro-recycling and don't mind sorting and separating, but I hate looking at bins!

Ours are fine. We have two big 32litre bins in a 450 pull out unit. One waste, one recycling, empty 2-3 times a week. You need to wipe around periodically but no worse than a free standing bin. Theres no lid or mechanism to clean but there's a kind of metal shelf that covers the top.

The downside might be if you are an extremely clumsy household who cant actually put things in a bin, or who don't take the rubbish out until the bin is over full. Have a look on the binopolis website.

We have 2 side by side pull outs in a 60cm full sized unit.

They're brilliant.

I think any bin has the potential to end up manky and unhygienic- it all depends on your kitchen behaviour I suppose!

Ours are usually spotless. We use bags in both the regular waste and recycling (this one is a reusable one) and each one is emptied daily-as I would for any bin I suppose.

All recycling is washed, squashed and dried before it goes in too.

I have a pull out bin with sections for rubbish and recycling, and a separate pull out bin that I use as a laundry basket. No disadvantages at all.

We've got a pull out bin in a cupboard which we use for recycling, a small compost bin for peelings etc and a freestanding bin on wheels which looks great but tbh isn't that practical mine is orange I like the fact it's on wheels though, and wouldn't have wanted to sacrifice another cupboard.

I much prefer a standalone bin. It’s bigger. I sacrificed a cupboard at the end of the run and placed the stainless steel pedal bin bin in there. It’s easy to pull out and clean. The kitchen to me is like a workshop. Everyone knows what a kitchen is for so I have no problem with the tools of the trade being on show.

I like the idea of hiding a full size bin in a cupboard but the ones. I have seen in kitchen displays always look like they are too small and I would be constantly taking the bins out.

HomeprideSaucy

Grim. My friend has one. Bin is always full to the brim and muck and crap is smeared rounds all sides of the unit.

I think that says more about your friends' housekeeping skills tbh than the actual mechanism.

I have to empty ours every day, wash them completely every 3rd day or so, it's no hassle and much nicer than free standing ones.

We had pull out ones put in a cupboard when we got a new kitchen, family of 5. Wouldn't go back to freestanding. Empty every day as they aren't huge. This isn't a problem, the thought of a bigger freestanding bin of rubbish festering for a few days in the house until it's full turns my stomach a bit now. The door needs wiping down periodically and bins cleaned now and again. No issues at all, wouldn't go back.

@abbey44

I've always had a freestanding bin but the house I moved into last year has built-in and I'm a convert. Main reason is that the dog can't get in and rummage through the rubbish now - she'd worked out how to get in most of the kitchen bins I'd tried. They are smaller capacity, but it's just part of the routine you get used to.

Agreed if you have a cheeky dog a bin in a cupboard is perfect!

Ours is connected to the door of the cupboard under the sink so don't really lose space as not much else an go in here. How come you don't have a separate food bin.