We are debating between 2 trash options:
1. A hafele foot pedal w/ pull out trash (these are for frameless cabinets but my wonderful amazing cabinet maker is modifying it for me) http://www.hafele.com/us/products/cabinet-trash-can-pull-out-with-foot-pedal.asp

2. Blum servo drive with pull out trash. This is absolute overkill for a trash pull out, but the video looks makes it look so cool! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LI96eT6Pqos The kit for this is $325.00

We have a trash compactor. It was my mom's, and last time she moved she didn't have room for it. This one is about 15 years old and still seems to be going strong.

I buy my bags at Winco (a cheapo grocery store)for $5 for 10 bags. Considering I go through one bag a week, I think it works out pretty well.

You're right, come time to take the trash out, it's a chore. But, again it's a trade off. We only take the trash out once a week, and it means we don't need as big of a trash container.

However, for us, the real savings is in not coming home from where ever and finding the trash all over the kitchen floor because our dog got into it. I have no doubt that he would learn to open a cupboard door if there was regularly yummy trash in it.

I remember checking one time, thinking that we would not be replacing ours. It's just too expensive for what it does. I just checked sears.com and they said their "most popular" one is $799. Really? $800 to compact trash? Their cheapo one is $499. That still seems like a lot, to me.

Mine is a Sears, and at least, my very old one does have the foot operation to open it.

I opened this thread expecting to see a question about what else could go into a space where a compactor was, but that doesn't seem to be your question. Do you want a compactor or do you not want a plastic bin? Maybe I'm missing your point, but it sounds like you feel better about your trash if you spend more on a compactor that you do if you have a plastic bin that is normally concealed inside a cabinet. Either one is going to be lined with a bag -- paper or plastic, but if it makes you feel better you can get a plastic bin in a color or get a metal bin. There is a stainless bin option on the attached link -- scroll down.

I have a trash pullout by the prep sink and a smaller container under the clean up sink. We take trash out about twice a week on average and our outdoor trash can is usually only half full. I don't see a need for a compactor

Here is a link that might be useful: Some trash bin options

yeah - probably our last resort is what everyone else's first option is...the plastic bin in a cabinet drawer. I guess to each their own on how this should operate, yet the way we see it -- the "trash" is probably one of the top 3 items used in the kitchen (fridge, sink, trash) - so functionality of how it works is key for us. the link a couple of posts above isnt bad with the foot option added to the cabinet door. but you are still having an "open trash" container within the high dollar cabinets. at a minimum the plastic container should also have a lid - but then that defeats the purpose of ease--- open cabinet - then open second lid - whereas opening something like a compactor which would enclose the "trash" would be a one step action.

its not so much that it has to "compact" the trash - more that it is a self enclosed unit.....

Wow, that servo-drive video is really horrid. I'm glad they included the supposedly 'cute' dog segment since it shows why we don't want this in our kitchen, every bump from a rolling walker, guest leaning against the counter, or a sneaky dog nose will cause them to open unexpectedly.

As I started watching I was going: way cool! (I'm an extreme gadget person; I are an enjineer, I can't help it) But this quickly switched to: OMG, that would not work out well at all.

Never had a compactor. In fact, Ive only ever seen one in my whole 42 years of life.

In a compactor, the trash is still open inside a different kind of box. You can also get bins with lids that go inside cabinets.

There's got to be a better solution out there for trash! A plastic bin inside an expensive cabinet? I don't like that idea at all.

What are the big complaints with trash compactors? buying bags? smell?

Are there compactors with different bags? Dyson! Solve this!

Had one years ago... hated it. Didn't know they still even made those things. I have two small bins, one for trash and one for recyleables. I rather take out the trash a little more often and not deal with the smell/dirt.

"There's got to be a better solution out there for trash! A plastic bin inside an expensive cabinet? I don't like that idea at all. "

I sure hope you aren't storing any paper plates in those precious cabinets either!

If you don't want a plastic bin, I'm sure you could find a stainless one. Ultimately though, you are going to be throwing trash in it though so the most important aspect is going to be that you can wipe it down and that nothing will grow on its surface. If you are concerned with cleanliness, you really don't want anything more complicated than a simple bin lined with a plastic bag.

Here is what I see are things to do.
1. most organics: down the drain or into compost holding bin. Move to the big compost.
2. most hard matter: sort and recycle. Store near the garage.
3. collect the rest in a temporary holding bin, and remove it to another place.
By removing garbage, as often as you could imagine, you keep kitchen air drier and cleaner than otherwise.

adamrainoff, to follow up on billl's thoughts, perhaps a good part of the solution will be clearer after thinking about ways to get trash out of the kitchen more often. No need to store it. Is this ok?

I too was bothered when I found out there was no advanced solution for garbage. The final frontier: garbage management systems. What else can you do with garbage except manage it?

in the 100 year forecast from a garbage management systems perspective i see people returning more and more containers, and one incentive could be the dollar they get for each of those containers made for this high value return system. Scavengers would love the dollar return too, and scavenging is a fine activity for many. Consumers could pay $1.10 at purchase and get $1 back at return; the ten cents funds the container management and handling system.

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Spendy high end kitchen cabinet manufacturers also have nothing specifically high end or different for garbage.

High end manufacturers of kitchen system HARDWARE offer products in the thousands; none have anything elaborate for garbage. Plastic will do.
Franke Kitchen Systems Inc, a hundred year old company;
Blum (the company we all refer to because of its kitchen systems hardware like drawer glides and liftup springs for wall cabinets);
Hettich, another European hardware company;
What I'm saying is that millions of "Green" ecologically minded Europeans have nothing new to show us in terms of trash handling and management PRODUCTS. That's because it all about habits, not products that you buy and install.

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A plastic bin inside an expensive cabinet?
"...I don't like that idea at all..."
One solution is to remember that the cabinet and drawers are not expensive, so the dichotomy is not that great. (. : - ) . )

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OH MY! That video was absolutely awful - that cheezey song and dance! I cannot believe Blum actually made that - it looks like a SNL spoof!

But the dog - Oh My GOD! I would never be able to leave the house or go to sleep! Did they really think that would be a selling point? The dog helps me cook? No, Blum let the dog eat me out of house and home!

Seriously though, at the end, when all the drawers started moving in and out - it reminded me of the scene in The Amityville Horror Part ??? where the appliances started turning themselves on and sucked the woman's hand into the garbage disposal! That's why I don't have one of those!

As for trash compactors - only had experience once at an old job - it was loud. The only way I can see it being of any value is if you live in the Boonies and must take your own trash to the dump, otherwise with weekly pickup, why bother?

We just had one installed in our new build kitchen and love it! We have only lived here two weeks today and changed the bag only once at the end of the first week. If I remember right, it compacts 7 bags of garbage into one.

We do live on an acreage about 5 mins from town and do not have garbage pickup yet. There are private companies who we can hire to pickup once a week.

The only downfall is the food waste that could rot or smell sitting in it for a few days. There is an air freshener for the compactor but we have not put it in as there has been no smell yet also there is a fan you can turn on.

I do plan eventually to have a small airtight container under the sink for food waste and then take it out daily to a compost bin we will be making soon in our yard.

I've had a compactor in my last two homes, and I personally loved having one. Just the two of us and It only needed changing every couple months. I purchased cheap bags online that worked great. I never put food scraps in there so never have a smell. In the new house DH was totally against it. Not sure why, but I let him have his way, and the island will have a trash pullout on each end. We'll see how that works. He may get tired of emptying the trash every day.