DIY Pull Out Trash Can

Pull Out Trash Can Cabinet Plans

When I was designing my new kitchen, I was thinking about how awesome it would be to have a cabinet with a hidden trash can. No one would know it was there! There would be no tripping over it, no pets digging in it… It would be fabulous!

I built all of the cabinets in the kitchen and had one that I wasn’t quite sure what to do with. It could have been appliance storage, more drawers, wine storage, etc. Then the DIY pull out trash can idea struck me… That afternoon I had a trash can built from plywood scraps with drawer slides, and it was mounted inside the cabinet. I was thrilled! The door to the cabinet I built actually mounts to the can itself and I added an extra handle to the back of the trash can to make it easier to lift out of the slides.

The following tutorial explains the process of building the hidden kitchen trash can for both styles of cabinets: face frame or frameless. It’s super quick and easy, and minimal skill are required!

Materials:

• Drawer slides (<– affiliate link!) just short of the depth of the cabinet (mine are 18″ long)
• 3/4″ screws
• Drill

 

How to Build a Concealed Trash Can:

Measure the Opening

Measure the cabinet opening. Your trash can will need to be the width of the opening minus 1” for the drawer slide clearance.

Determine the Cabinet Opening Type

Determine if you have a face frame on your cabinet or if it is frameless. If it is frameless, the slides will mount right to the sides of the cabinet. If there are face frames, a 1×2 will have to be mounted to the sides of the cabinet (not at the bottom as the drawing indicates) at the opening in order to attach the drawer slides or you can use mounting sockets (<– affiliate link!) that attach to the back of the cabinet to clear the face frame.

Measure the Depth

Measure the depth of your cabinet. Most drawer slides are sold in even lengths – 18”, 20”, 22”. I used 18” drawer slides (its what I already had) so my trash can is 18” deep which allows me to store the roll of bags and an air freshener in the back!

Measure the Height of the Opening

Measure the height of the door opening. I allowed for a few inches between the can and the top of the door opening.

Start Building

Scraps of different species of plywood are fine to use. Mine is a combination of birch and oak~ You can also use different thicknesses, for example, the front and back can be ½” plywood while the sides and bottom are ¾” plywood or vice versa, although the bottom should be ¾” thick. You are basically building a box.

Install the Slides

I used full extension ball bearing slides so it would be easy to remove the can to remove or replace the bag.

Pick Your Finish… Or Not

It can be stained, painted, left natural or whatever you choose! I left mine unfinished because it is hidden, after all, but I did sand it really well, including the edges.

Mount The Door

You can choose to mount the door directly to the can or you can leave it on its hinges. If the door is directly mounted to the can, add a handle or pull in the top center to make it easier to slide the can out. If the door is left on the hinges, a notch or handhold would have to be cut into the front of the can so it can be pulled out.

Add an Additional Handle or Cutout to the Back

For ease in removing the can to remove or replace the bag, I suggest adding a handle to the back of the can provided there is enough clearance. If not, just cut a handhold in the back of the can!

Load it up… Enjoy your new hidden trash can! Have questions about how to build a DIY pull out trash can? Leave a comment below!