a pull out trash can seems like a pretty good substitute for a trash compactor. I'm pretty happy with ours and can't think of any problems that wouldn't also apply to any other trash can in the kitchen. Our pull out also has a place to store garbage bags that can be pulled out like kleenex out of a box which I really like.

Where is the available opening? Trash pullouts should be located near the cleanup sink and the prep area. You can get pullouts that have lids on the cans.

I'd replace it with a cabinet or drawers.

The problem with pull-out trash cabinets is that the trash doesn't always end up in the trash can. It ends up splattered onto the walls inside the cabinet, or the door of the cabinet,or behind the trash can.

From my POV as a new owner of an old kitchen with a trash pull-out, they are roach attracting filth collectors. I have removed the pullout and replaced it with two narrow pull-out shelves.

The trash compactor is located right next to the oven, but I don't know if this would be considered near the sink in the picture?

But, after hearing lazygardens experience, I think I'm not going to go with the trash compactor because of concerns about roaches.

Some unsolicited advice from someone who rented for a very long time. I wouldn't do anything to that stove unless you are doing a complete kitchen redo or there's something wrong with it. If it works, I would leave it. It's likely to go on working longer than whatever you replace it with. As a renter I never expected the very latest and greatest appliances. If they worked and were clean, that was good enough for me.

I wouldn't put a trash pullout in that spot, myself. It looks awkward to get into there to clean well, which means that it may not get done often enough.

We had a trash pullout in our rental condo occupied by 3 young adults. There were no issues with roaches or other insects. The condo was in a 24 unit complex so there was an increased chances for bugs but in the 5 years we owned it exterminators we're never needed in the buildings.

In a rental in particular, I would get one that is really sturdy. A client of mine broke hers by trying to overstuff the can with trash. (I actually think she did this while she was drinking and fell on it but that's another story). So now we are figuring out how to fix it since she ruined the place where it was screwed in.

Other than that I would say it is as clean or as dirty as the area surrounding any trash can -- it depends upon the user.

Palimpsest - ROFL!!! I bet that hurt! :-)

I have to disagree with LazyGardens - we have not had any problems with trash "splattered onto the walls inside the cabinet, or the door of the cabinet,or behind the trash can" in the four years we've been using ours. In fact, I think it's cleaner than a standalone trash can b/c it's contained and dogs cannot get to it :-)

I suppose if you leave it open and throw things into it from several feet away, it might be an issue, but it would also be an issue for a standalone can. I guess what I'm saying is the same as Palimpsest said - it has more to do with the users of the trash can than it does the location of it or its type.

As to the location of the trash compactor, it's in a very good location for using the trash while prepping and cooking - the two tasks that generate the most trash and recycling. It's even near the Cleanup Zone - so useful for all primary work zones.

However, if this is a home you are renting out (and I assume it is), I would not upgrade the appliances too much unless (1) you upgrade everything in the kitchen to the same level or (2) you have to to compete in the rental market in your area. I'm assuming the range is still functioning just fine since you called it "the old, reliable electric range".

Stainless steel and white (or black) appliances are not that bad together. I think of SS as a neutral that goes with just about everything!

It might be a bit of a PIA to get a door made and have the paint match exactly (I know you can color match) as wear and age will change the appearance. I forsee a snowball effect with cabinet door/drawer re-dos. You could put baskets that pull out for storage of onions/potatos or oils maybe spices. I'm not a huge fan of open storage like that but it might be the least intrusive thing to do. I ended up putting two trash cans ... one garbage and one recycling, under my sink and it works fine. If I"m going to pull out a unit while prepping/cleaning... I can just as easily pull or take out the can and scoot it around the kitchen as I need. It's also then easy to rinse it out, replace the trash bag, and slide it right back under the sink. The only thing that I didn't do which might have been nice is to have some sort of foot activated pullout so I didn't have to grab the handle with dirty hands. That issue you have with a pullout or can under the sink.

I like my trash pull-out--don't find it difficult to keep it, or the cabinet, clean.

You could make it look more symmetrical by putting a 'false drawer stack' on the pull-out. Make a plywood panel, with four slabs attached to match the drawer fronts on the other side of the stove. No need to match recessed panel doors, but you would need three extra pieces of hardware. Those look fairly generic.

Ideally, where should a pull out trash cabinet be located in the kitchen? It should be in that drawer just to the right of the sink in the picture, right?

And, will the location of a trash cabinet next to the oven be an issue? One of the reasons I decided to drop the idea of putting in a built-in wine rack in the trash compactor space was because I feared the heat of the oven would ruin the wines and thus make the space nonfunctional.

But, wouldn't the heat of the oven right next to the pull out trash cabinet be a bad idea because of that location cause the warmth of the oven would heat up the trash so you'd get a nasty, funky smell?