Every product on Best Trash Can gets a score from 0 to 10, and each top-10 list ranks products by that score. This page explains how the score is built, where the data comes from, and what we don’t do.
Hands-on testing
Most of our rankings come from published facts, not hands-on testing. Our scores are built from manufacturers’ own product pages, manuals and warranty terms; retailer listings are used only for prices and availability. Every product page links the sources its specs came from, and if no source states a spec, we leave it blank rather than guess.
Occasionally we test a trash can ourselves. When we do, the product is marked “Tested by us,” links to a review of our experience, and shows an Editor’s test score as a separate score. Our ranking is still based on published facts, so the editor’s score never changes a product’s place on a list.
The five parts of the score
Each part is scored from 0 to 100, then the parts are combined using the weights below.
| Part | What it measures | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Buyer rating | Average buyer rating adjusted for how many ratings there are (Bayesian average), so a 5.0 from 3 buyers does not beat a 4.6 from 3,000. | 30% |
| Value | Features and capacity relative to price, compared only with products of similar capacity (same capacity band) in the same list. | 20% |
| Fit for the list | How well the product matches what the list is for, for example narrow width for Slim and narrow or a sensor lid for Zero-touch. | 25% |
| Build and convenience | Body material, how the lid opens (touch-free sensor, motion or voice opening counts most, then a step pedal), and details: soft-close or quiet lid, odor control, removable inner bucket, fingerprint-resistant finish. | 15% |
| Warranty and support | Manufacturer warranty length, plus how easy it is to get the right liners. | 10% |
Some lists weigh the parts differently:
- Slim and narrow: Buyer rating 25%, Value 15%, Fit for the list 35%, Build and convenience 15%, Warranty and support 10%
- Outdoor, curbside and garage: Buyer rating 25%, Value 15%, Fit for the list 25%, Build and convenience 25%, Warranty and support 10%
- Self-bagging and smart: Buyer rating 30%, Value 15%, Fit for the list 30%, Build and convenience 15%, Warranty and support 10%
- Under-cabinet and pull-out: Buyer rating 25%, Value 20%, Fit for the list 35%, Build and convenience 10%, Warranty and support 10%
- Value compares a product with others of similar capacity in the same list (under 3 gallons, 3 to 8, 8 to 13, 13 to 20, and 20 or more): what you get in capacity and features for the price. A cheap small can is never compared with a kitchen-size one.
- Fit for the list checks what each list is for. For example, Slim and narrow rewards a can that is narrow for its capacity, Zero-touch rewards a sensor, motion or voice lid, and Outdoor rewards wheels, size and animal-resistant lids.
- Build and convenience looks at the body material, how the lid opens, and details such as a soft-close or quiet lid, odor control, a removable inner bucket and a fingerprint-resistant finish. A lid that opens without touching (by sensor, motion or voice) counts the most, then a step pedal.
- A feature only counts when a source states it. We never assume a feature is there.
Provisional scores
Some parts don’t have data yet. Right now that is true of buyer ratings for every product. Warranty counts in a list only when at least half of that list’s launch products have a warranty stated by the brand; otherwise it is left out of that list for everyone. When no product in a list has a part, we leave it out for everyone and the remaining parts count for more, so their weights still add up to 100%. When only some products are missing a part, those products are counted at the lowest value in the list, so missing information never helps a product. We never fill a gap with made-up facts. A score built this way is marked provisional, and the product page shows which parts are missing or counted low.
Who gets ranked
Only products with at least one in-stock offer are ranked in a list, and only when we have the data to judge how well they fit it. Some lists have an extra rule: Slim and narrow ranks kitchen-size cans of 8 gallons or more, and electric food recyclers and compost devices are ranked in Compost only, not in Self-bagging and smart. A list needs at least two ranked products before we show a ranking; until then we point you to related lists and the Finder.
How often we update
Prices are checked daily, and every price shows the date it was checked. Scores and ranks are recalculated after each daily price check, whenever product details change, and at least once a week. Each list page shows the date it was last updated, and each product page shows when its specs were last checked against the sources.
Trash Can of the Month
Each month we feature one product from a theme list: January Recycling and dual-compartment, February Bathroom, March Slim and narrow, April Compost, May Outdoor, curbside and garage, June Baby and pet, July Step pedal, August Bedroom and office, September Under-cabinet and pull-out, October Self-bagging and smart, November Kitchen and December Zero-touch and sensor.
The pick is made automatically on the 1st of the month. A product can win if it is in stock, scores at least 7.0 in that month’s list, and hasn’t won in the previous 12 months. Its Month Score is its list score plus a small bonus: 0.3 if its best in-stock price dropped at least 10% since we last recorded it, and 0.2 if it was added to our catalog in the last 60 days, up to 0.5 in total. The highest Month Score wins; ties go to the lower price, then the better build. If fewer than two products qualify, we use the next month’s list instead. Our editor can occasionally choose a different product, and that pick is labeled as an editor’s pick.
Methodology changes
We change how scores work only for reasons that matter to shoppers, never to produce a particular winner. Every change is listed here, oldest first.
- Nov 6, 2026. Value is now measured against the median of the product’s size band, so the best value in a band no longer gets an automatic top score. Scores are capped at 9.9 out of 10. A hands-free opening (sensor, motion or voice, then a step pedal) counts toward build and convenience. The Zero-touch list weights fit at 35%.
- Nov 6, 2026 (second update). Outdoor, curbside and garage cans are now judged on outdoor features for build and convenience: wheels, a locking or animal-resistant lid, being rated for outdoor use, an attached hinged lid, the body material and the warranty length when known. Indoor details such as soft-close lids and odor filters no longer decide outdoor rankings. Missing information can no longer raise a score: an unknown material counts for less than a known plastic body, and a product missing a part that other products in the list have is counted at the list’s lowest value for that part. In Self-bagging and smart, a product with all four key features (self-sealing or automatic bag change, a touch-free opening, app or voice control, and odor control) can now reach a full fit score. Before, a full fit needed both self-sealing and app or voice control, which no product had, so fit topped out at 80 out of 100 and odor control didn’t count.
- Nov 7, 2026. Value now uses, for every product, the lowest in-stock price we have on file across its retailers and colors, which we re-check daily. Before, products without color options used a price recorded once when they were added, so a price change didn’t reach their score.
- Nov 10, 2026. Warranty now counts in a list’s score (and in the overall score) only when at least half of that list’s launch products have a warranty stated by the brand. Otherwise it is left out of that list, like any part no product has, because comparing products on information most of them lack would be unfair. Warranty and other specs come only from the brand’s own pages, manuals and documents; a value that only a retailer states is treated as not known.
- Nov 10, 2026 (second update). Zero-touch now uses the standard weights. Its list no longer weights fit at 35%; it uses the same weights as most lists (buyer ratings 30%, value 20%, fit 25%, build and convenience 15%, warranty 10%), and warranty counts only under the coverage rule above.
- Nov 11, 2026 (clarification). Colors: a product’s colors and finishes come from the brand’s own product pages, under the brand’s color names; a color only a retailer lists isn’t added. Each color shows its own dated price when a store link opens that exact color, under the same price rules as every other price. Value uses the lowest in-stock price across a product’s colors. A color that is really a different material, size or coating is treated as a separate product, not a color. Scores didn’t change.
How we make money
We may earn a commission when you buy through links on this site. It never changes our rankings.
No brand or retailer can pay to be included or ranked higher. A commission never changes a score or a rank. The score uses the same rules for every product.