The “Brilliant” $23 Find I Always Use When People Come Over (It Makes Cleaning Up So Much Easier)
Planning for the garbage is an unfortunate but necessary consideration no matter what kind of party or event you’re hosting — and even in your day-to-day life. When I was deciding on the layout for our new kitchen, I originally included plans for two bottom cabinet garbage inserts. I knew I wanted our garbage cans integrated into the cabinetry, so that the trash was hidden and to save space in the kitchen. But when I realized how much food waste our powerful garbage disposal would cut down on, I decided to scale back to only one garbage pullout. (It includes a recycling bin behind the garbage can.)
Thankfully, in the two years we’ve been in our kitchen, this gamble has proven to be a smart one (it turns out that I needed that extra cabinet space for storage), and with the help of our disposal, we only need to take out our garbage once a day. But it’s when we have lots of guests that our smaller garbage bin becomes a situation.
You know the scene: Paper plates getting tossed into the garbage, maybe stacked neatly to save space, maybe not. A few hard shoves to compact everything, and then the bag starts to sag into the bin. Eventually, someone gives in and the trash gets taken out, a bulging bag carried straight through the party. Another scenario in which our everyday trash bin doesn’t cut it is when we’re hosting outdoors. Having a garbage can outside, ready for everyone when they’re done eating and drinking is so much better than guests having to go back inside to handle their trash (or, worse, leaving it outside where it gets blown by the wind or picked over by our dogs).
When I started seeing collapsible garbage bag holders all over my social media feeds, I decided to try one. I was hosting a few gatherings, both indoors and out, making it the perfect time to test out a portable and versatile trash solution.
I chose this metal trash bag holder, which holds 30-45 gallon trash bags and goes for $22.99 on Amazon. The unit took only minutes to assemble, and although this one doesn’t technically collapse, it’s super easy to remove the vertical portions for flat storage (and a cinch to reassemble when you need it, too).
The vertical rods slant out and away from the center, which allows the trash bag holder to hold various sizes of trash bags securely. When I put my smaller trash bags on it, the top of the bag bends the rods inward and the bag is tightly held in place, even when full.
In action, the trash bag holder does exactly what you’d want it to. It’s an extremely convenient pop-up garbage can that can be set up anywhere you need it, whether that’s inside to supplement a smaller trash can, or outside on the porch or lawn. It’s perfect for setting up near our outdoor firepit when we make s’mores and it makes cleanup so much faster.
Forever a fan of multipurpose products, I love that this trash bag holder has additional uses — it can be used to hold clippings or leaves when doing yard work, and it’s also perfect for camping. In addition, I’m sure I’ll use it when working on decluttering or DIY projects around the house. I’m actually so excited to have it and can’t wait to find even more ways to put it to work!
Buy: Metal Trash Bag Holder, $22.99