I have a drawer which holds my dishtowels and microfiber cloths. No food, no utensils.

We went full height on our trash cabinet. We could get the larger sized cans that way, and we weren't too keen on storing stuff over the trash.

I wasn't quick enough to think of that, so cabinet maker just made mine with a drawer above. Looking back I wish I had gone with taller cans and no drawer above. But we do use it for DH's junk drawer so it's not wasted.

I built a drawer above mine, and ran the divider between the can and drawer all the way to the back of the cabinet to make two distinct compartments. I have two smaller cans, with trash in front and recycling behind. The drawer is deep enough to hold a large roll of trash bags, and also holds all of my tinfoil, waxed paper, ziploc bags, etc.

We had one with a drawer above. I like to sweep the counter top into the garbage can. The drawer caused the can top to be far enough below the counter top that there was more opportunity to have stuff miss the can. The new layout has no drawer with the can suspended from the top. It works much better for me.

I would also consider the cabinets surrounding the trash pull out. If there is a line of upper drawers on one side along with a top drawer-type panel on the sink on the other side, it might look nice to keep the line of drawers going. We have enough room to have the set up of double trash bins with drawer above and I find the shorter bins are just the right size for lining with a paper bag.

We have a full height door on our trash cab (to match the paneled DW on the other side of the sink cab), but there's an internal pull-out drawer (with a metal cover between the trash cans and that pull-out). We store dishtowels and microfiber cloths in that pull-out and the metal cover does a really great job keeping odors from reaching them. I'm sure it helps that we take the garbage down nightly (unless there's nothing wet or likely to smell in the garbage that day).

Ours is just like the picture you posted. No challenges with it yet - works great and I am glad we have it. Beats the heck out of having a trash can sitting out.

I am having a built-in chopping block drawer put in over my pull-out trash. That way, I can just sweep the scraps and crumbs right into the trash. A friend of mine has this and it works really well.

MIne is like the pic above except that it has a box around the whole thing with cutouts on the top for the two cans. Hanging the cans from the tracks and attaching the cabinet front only to the tracks looks pretty flimsy to me. But I had to have the cabinet maker cut a "window" into the back of the box so I could reach in with a grabby thingie to pick up anything that slipped over the top.

As in the pic, I have a drawer above the trash pullout. That's my veggie prep center with cutting boards, knives peelers, etc. in the front of a divided drawer so when I'm going my veggie prep the waste goes directly into the trash can. The back portion is towels and pot holders.

IF I had thought of it sooner, I would have had shorter cans and a second pullout that I could have put a restaurant pan in to collect the veggie waste for my compost pile. In an earlier discussion of composting some months ago someone showed a drawer she had fitted with a stainless steel restaurant pan. It was great and I wish I'd known about it before we designed my cabinets.

I got a small restaurant pan that will fit on top of the trash can but I haven't made my mind up yet about how messy it will get on the bottom and how annoying it will get to have to lift it to throw actual trash away.

Great ideas everyone--please keep more coming!
imrainey, I can't think of what a "restaurant pan" is. Any pictures?

Thank you!

See if this link will take you to the post I referred to.

Here is a link that might be useful: restaurant pan used as kitchen composting container

We have two trash & recycling pullouts, one in the island & the other next to a dishwasher in our cleanup zone (perimeter). In our island, I wanted power outlets in the middle of one side rather than under the stool overhang on one end, so we used the drawer space to install outlets. The drawer "front" is actually a flipper that looks like a drawer until we pivot it up & back to reveal the outlets. This way, we can still use the trash pullout.

That link doesn't work. I suspect what's meant is what I know as a "hotel pan". It's a moderately deep stainless steel pan used for all sorts of things in a restaurant; perhaps the most visible to customers is as a pan in a steam table. A full-size hotel pan is 12"X20" by 2.5" deep, with a fairly large lip (to hang from a steam table or chaffer). They're available in other sizes, typically fractions of the full-size, so several fit in the same spot on the steamer. Four and six inch deep versions, versions with holes (for steaming) or slots. A full sized pan has a trade capacity (actual capacity varies) of 9 quarts.

Here is a link that might be useful: hotel pans

Our trash system is a bit different -- it is a complete structure which has a wooden frame that the trash can's 'sit' in. My cabinetmaker made them full height -- didn't think much of it at first, but frankly, I'm quite happy to have the full height.

Why? It allows us NOT to have to run to the trashcan, once it hits the top of the can (of course, we try to not completely overload it, but it definitely buys us more flexibility). Also, I'd say my trashcan is one of my favorite aspects of our new kitchen.

Good luck!

Sorry the link didn't work. Here's a link to that thread and if you page down you'll see it in the drawer.

It is exactly what dscheidt described and linked to but the thread will show how she used it.

Hope this link works. The other one works for me so I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong.

Here is a link that might be useful: kitchen composting thread

We have a drawer - we use it for storing hardware type items (no food or linens). So far in 6 months, it has NOT been a problem! I can sweep crumbs from granite countertop directly into the can!

DonnaR/CA

Here is a link that might be useful: Trash Drawer

Have a full height door with a hidden drawer like Cat Mom. I store the plastic trash bags and paper bags that I line the recyclable basket with in there.

Neat idea but, personally, I haven't got enough room to give a drawer over to trash bags. I put the roll or stack of bags (sans the box, of course) in the bottom of the cans and then open one bag to line the cans. When I pull that one out (I don't every time; I wait until it's really groady) I take the next bag from the bottom.

My trash pull out is built like monroviamons. It is a complete wooden sturcture and the plastic trash cans sit in. I might be a little worried about the garbage being on a single track. Make sure it feels solid. I have a drawer on top like your pic showed and I store my foil, baggies, trash bags etc.