how about one of those cutting boards that go over the sink with an opening to scrape the scraps thru into a bowl in the sink? it'd be a lot cheaper and you wouldn't have to cut a hole in the counter top.

Laranita, This makes so much sense to me. I have searched for ways to implement this idea, with the addition of a grocery plastic bag to catch the trash, but it's just not in favor. I would also want a fitted cover. But people just don't want to cut into their countertops. I simply don't have the space, having very limited countertops.

If you google 'waste bin' in the UK, you'll find something. Franke and/or Blanco may also have something, but with a small capacity. The existing trash chutes have a long way for the trash to travel to it's final receptacle.

I believe that whoever figures out an efficient, nice looking way to dump trash into a countertop receptacle will be the next 'post it' or paperclip inventor.

Maybe you would have more luck if you tried looking at restaurant suppliers? Franke is a large supplier to restaurants are their staff are very knowledgeable so if you can find their phone # to call them, they will be able to tell you over the phone. I would call them with a vague description of what I wanted, and they always knew exactly what I was looking for!

I didn't know they actually made things like this--I was inspired more by the hole in the counter at Starbucks! :-)

We are planning to do something like this in our "snack station" (really a large hutch with r/f drawers, mw, etc for the kids to keep most of their snacks and breakfast foods). What we figured was cutting a hole in the soapstone toward a back corner and having our cab;net maker make us a removable cover. In the cab;net underneath, we are putting a bin/tub on a shelf to catch what goes in the hole.

However, we are not really planning for anything to be thrown away there except for wrappers, paper trash, etc (my husband hates finding the ripped off tops of go-gurts lying around and is REALLY hoping this help with that LOL)--not really for actual food waste.

Thanks for raising the points about plastic/odors--I hadn't thought of that and will look into metal now myself!

I have a counter mounted bin. The original was made of plastic and I damaged it by putting a hot dish on it. The plastic also got horribly discoloured over the past 18 years. I found a stainless steel steam table container of the right diameter and replaced it with that. I did find a type of bucket with a handle that fits inside to make it easier to empty it. The other bonus is that it was significantly cheaper than the Blanco bin linked to above.

There are 2 types of stainless steel compost bins offered by Lee Valley.
One of them might be an attractive , inexpensive way for you to try out the compost option before you cut the hole in the countertop. It wouldn't be exactly the same but it could be used during a trial period, before you make the "whole" committment.
Pardon the pun- I couldn't resist- hehe.

Here is a link that might be useful: LeeValley compost page

Thanks for all the thoughts, everyone! I think I may go with the trash chute, and see what we can rig underneath to catch everything. As cool as the blanco solon thing is, it is just too pricey to justify.....

I looked into this in 2009. I saw the Blanco Solon also. Better to cut a hole any size you like, and suspend under it a 1/6th size "steam pan" container used by professionals in food services and in restaurants.

Key words for search:
"1/6th size pan restaurant steam refrigeration

I bought a bunch of them, 6" deep.
They are not all the same size. They vary by a half inch.

Here's a batch of 9 of them, pre-owned / used, for $35:
http://www.acitydiscount.com/Used-Set-of-9-Stainless-Steel-1-6-Size-Steam-Table-Pans.1.108761.1.1.htm

Someone here (I'm sorry! I can't remember who!) installed stainless steel "hotel trays" in a top drawer - those rectangular pans they use on warming stations on buffets etc, complete with stainless steel lids. She just pulls out the drawer and scoots the compost stuff into the pans. When she's ready, the pans lift out to transfer the contents to the compost pile, and are easily washed out.

If I ever have a kitchen big enough to actually allow room for that, I'm definitely copying it.

Doesn't Circuspeanut have one?

There have been quite a few discussions of these. A few people have and love them. A few more put them in and found them inconvenient so don't use them.

I think the kind you've shown where the receptacle is mounted to the hole is superior to the ones that are a hole some distance above the can. Less opportunity for things to go awry.

Looking at the features of the Blanco one, I think it would be worth the price. Being able to lift out the bin, rather than having to remove it from below, having it all stainless, and the top flush with the counter, are great features.

I had one clipped that was installed in a top drawer. They had DIY'd it. It was simple rubbermaid type containers installed in the drawer. They had possibly overturned the drawer box and then cut custom openings in the bottom of the drawer to hold the drop in containers. They simply opened the drawer and slid stuff off the counter into the interchangeable/washable bin. It was pretty handy looking and would be totally simple to DIY.

Rene

celticmoon, it was celticmoon who had the hotel trays. Scroll down on the link below to see a pic.

Here is a link that might be useful: Compost bin thread

I had the same thought as you--how great to just pull lid off the counter and slide scraps in?! I chickened out, however, concerned that if I didn't like or use it, then I'd be stuck with a hole in my counter. Friends of ours used tupperware seated in a drawer just below counter level, and it seemed like the ideal solution, until I ran across celticmoon's solution. I ultimately went with the steam/hotel tray approach, since:
-They're stainless, so easy to wash;
-They're easily replaced;
-The lid fits fairly tightly with only gravity (I didn't want to have to press hard on a tupperware-type lid that was sitting in an open drawer, over and over again, for years on end, for fear of damaging the drawer mechanism);
-I had a hard time finding a container that was just the right size-- shallow, but voluminous enough to hold enough stuff to make a trip to the compost bin worthwhile.

So steam tray it was. We had custom cabinets made, so I asked the cabinetmaker to size one of the drawers to fit a 1/2 and a 1/3 pan tray:

Kitchen is still being put together, so we haven't used this yet, but I think it's going to work well!

Here is a link that might be useful: another compost bin thread

hmmmmm.... that steam tray idea is tempting now. You guys are making me chicken out on cutting a hole in the counter, lol. So how do you think the setup will work, as far as ideal place for it....

The prep sink is on the island, on the short end - it is rectangular.... empty counter space to the right of the sink, then at the far right end is where my kitchen aid mixer is on a popup thingy that comes out from the base cabinet. So it'll be my baking area, as well as prep area, in between the sink and the mixer. I think it's a 5 foot distance. The only thing I'm unsure of is if there's a spot for a drawer there. I'm trying to envision how that would work if I'm standing at the prep sink, chopping stuff (it's an elkay sink with a cutting board that fits on top of the sink) I can sort of scoop/slide it over to an open drawer. Hmmm.

Don't know.... thinking it through as I typed that out I think I still like the idea of a hole better, lol.

Well here is a bad picture of mine as I mentioned above. I have a very small island with a butcher block counter that is badly in need of oiling in the picture. We do all of our prep on this counter and it is well used. I would not do without this bin and have had it or something similar for probably the past 20+ years.

{{!gwi}}

You should be able to order it from Canada if you really want it. I got my Tapmaster from Canada, I get my eyeglass lenses there, and I had my cooktop FedEx'd from England. It's really not a big deal. Just find a dealer and send an e-mail.

My problem is that most of my 'waste' is packaging. Empty milk bottles, half gallon juice, styrofoam meat trays, cans, cartons, egg cartons, etc. Just not much food waste. I dont compost. Most of these solutions address compost materials.

My trash is bulky but still needs to be thrown out. I just don't want to open a cabinet under the sink or in a drawer. I want to dump it into a countertop container.

The closest solution for me seems to be a large, lidded, stainless,bain marie from a restaurant supply house. I'd like it to be square or rectangular and keep it in and at the end of the 30+ inch sink. If the sink is 9 or 10 inches deep it would not be easily seen. If it's lidded it shouldn't be too offensive. Lined with a plastic garbage bag.

Seems like I should get a double bowl sink and use a smaller sink for the stainless trash container but I want the flexibility of having a big sink.

I have 2' and 3' counters by the only sink. I'd happily cut into them but I cannot give up the prep space.

What do all of you do with bulky non compost trash? Packaging?

For me, oversize trash goes into a plastic bag and directly out to the trash cans outside if it is too bulky to fit in the bin. Basically the same happens with packaging material although it goes into a recycling bin that is also outside. Since the counter bin is small, it also gets emptied frequently so heading out to the trash cans outside has gotten to be a habit around here. This really helps to keep odors out of my kitchen.

Laranita and others, I think I found it! Go to absupply.net(not.com) and there is an undercounter waste receptacle. ASI 1003 counter topped waste- see if this fits the bill. Looks good so far.

Hi-

You might want to check out Franke's stainless steel 'work center' sink, model CWX161-W. It has one of their stainless bins in the back, which the rep told me Europeans often use for food waste. The bin pulls out easily for emptying. This is contained right in the sink, so you won't have to hide a container in the bottom of your sink.

Westsider40 -
Well, sort of. It is pretty big - it's 7 gallons. !! I'm looking for something a lot smaller than that... plus the top doesn't seem to be tight fitting, this seems more like something you'd see in a public bathroom, or a restaurant, etc. Nice find though!

I may be the source of the "hotel tray" idea. Got a couple food service shallow containers and showed them to my cab maker. These long compost receivers were supposed to go into two drawers offset under each of two pull-out cutting boards so I could just drag my hand to push compost into the holding container. For now, I've settled for one at the major chopping station and let go of the idea of having one below the baking breadboard to accept excess flour, etc.

Works great. Making salad? Pull out the drawer and scrape the celery heel and the mushroom trimmings and pepper seeds out of your way. You can close the compost tray drawer with an elbow if you need to.

We had planned to have a narrow drawer that only contained the container, but life happens. We ended up with a wider drawer that has this tray-like stainless item on one side. If someone's really messy, I have to pull out all the items stored in there and wipe out the tomato splash or whatever.

Directly below the drawer that has the temp compost container is the pull-out waste bin--takes bones and moldy cheese and other non-compostable refuse. Push in the drawer and bombs-away below with noncompostables. And then pull out the compost drawer again and dump in the onion skins and garlic ends and apple peelings and nasty cilantro parts and crummy lettuce leaves. I sit at a stool while chopping and this container prevents all that timewasting to stand up and hop around to clean off the chopping work space after waste begins to take over the board. I can just keep working. Stand up and dump the compost holder into the compost bucket only once, at the end of the episode.