I don't have the same bins, but in general I like the bags from Smart & Final (company that sells supplies to small restaurants and caterers). They have really thin, really strong bags that come in a big carton. A year's worth.

This is ours....and so far no problems. I like that fact that the bins are supported on the bottom where all the weight in the bins "settle". Think about where it's best to support something heavy...the top or bottom (especially when using a plastic edge (of the bin) to hold the weight)? B/c it's a deep "drawer", there's no tilting of trash bins. There's no hanging rail to get in the way of the trash bag. [The rail can be a pro, though, if your bags routinely slip off the top of the bin. You can lift up the bin, put in the bag, and tuck it inside the rail as you maneuver the bin back into the rail. Ours don't, so it's not an issue with us.] mondragon, unlike the Ikea cabinets, the drawer above our trash pullout is completely separated from the trash area by a fixed wooden separator. The drawer sits above the separator. However, I do not put utensils, linens, wraps, etc. in that drawer as it psychologically does seem "gross". Instead, it's our "junk drawer". Here's a picture of ours: Personally, I don't think you can go wrong with either...so get whichever you like. Sorry, but winning an award in some state contest doesn't impress me...I've seen a lot of so-called award winning kitchens and wonder how people actually work in them! Most of those contests are really form over function...with function at the bottom of the list! I also suspect that "longevity" is not on "the list" at all. Your friend's kitchen may or may not be wonderfully functional, but w/o seeing it I take the fact that it won a state contest w/a grain of salt. Again, sorry if I'm too blunt, but I would not use that as a reason to get something unless someone is going for form over function...i.e., a "show kitchen" as opposed to a working kitchen...which is OK if you're upfront about it...not everyone actually cooks in their kitchen...some people just have them for "show".

I have to say that when I had a group of young (that is, younger than me) friends over and they saw our freestanding trash compactor, they laughed and said they hadn't seen one since they were kids. Thanks! In any case, we replaced it with trash cans under the sink when we did the reno. Our small kitchen didn't have space for a pullout or we might have gone that way. How many people live in your house? When all 3 kids were growing up, the trash compactor was marvelous. When it got to be just the 2 of us, it could take 3 weeks to fill. We made separate trash runs for smelly things like meat trays. If you have a houseful of people, I say replace it until you do your reno and then reevaluate. You're unlikely to be sorry you have it, and it's so much easier not trying to blend a new element into a cabinet run that you're going to replace anyway.

Sorry to bump this after so much time. Here's a picture of the trash compactor. This is the pull out trash/recycling system that I want. http://www.pullsdirect.com/rev-a-shelf-5349-2150dm-2-5349-series-double-50-quart-pull-out-waste-container-with-soft-close-slides/p1573591. It says that it fits in a 15 inch width cabinet. It took me this long to contact a few custom cabinet makers in my area. 2 of them have told me that to replace the trash compactor with the double pull out trash/recycling that I want, I would need to not only have a cabinet door/face, but also they'd need to create a cabinet box and a frame too. However, by doing this, the width of the side of the cabinet box would mean that they wouldn't be able to put in the pull-out that I want, which needs a width of 14.8 inches (the trash compactor is 15 inches), so I'd need to select a different one, which would have a much smaller bin size. The one I want has 2 50 quart bins, and I would have to go down to 2 27 quart bins, I think, to get it to fit, which is a big difference. I'm also talking to a third custom cabinet guy who said that there might be a way to be able to put in a "floor" to where the trash compactor was, so he could install the double pull out I want (which is bottom mounted, not side mounted) without any sides, and then put some type of frame at the top only, so something that the cabinet door could rest against while closed, but said he'd have to think about how to create it, and get back to me. I'm waiting to hear from him to see if he's thought of something that would work. In addition, the price estimates I've gotten so far were substantially higher than I was expecting. Alison, I'd love to know the details of how you and your dh did this. Did you add a whole cabinet box? If not, what did you mount your pullout to, and what does your door rest against? I would appreciate any ideas. Thanks! Here is a link that might be useful: rev-a-shelf double pull out