Find a plastic trash bag large enough to wrap it in. Alternatively, find a dumpster and, with permission, put it in it.

Try taking a hammer to it and breaking it so that it's more obvious that it's trash? Or take a marker and write "This is actually TRASH" all over it?

Funny, I was asking myself the same question a couple weeks ago, I'm moving and would like to get rid of the old tattered garbage cans. All I could think of was to wait for the garbage men and tell them to take them away lol

I have spray-painted "TAKE ME I AM TRASH" on the subject can and it worked.

This question cracked me up. :-)

put a note on it.

writing on it has worked for me with both garbage and recycling men. Also, do you have recycling? If it's a plastic can it can be recycled rather than trashed!

Also, I love the simplehuman cans. They are so great for the kitchen. A number of them come in large, slim models that are rectangular or semi-circle and can squeeze where you've got space away from everyone's sight lines. There's also a knock-off brand, one in particular, that does the same cans for less money, but I can't think of their name. They work well too.

I just visited a friend who had a wonderful "touchless" trash can. A sensor automatically opens the lid when you approach to throw something away.

Funny

Call your sanitation department and schedule a large-item-pickup.

There should be a recycling number on the bottom in a triangle mark, it should go to the recycle center they are everywhere.

I had the same problem! I even watched them take it out of a garbage bag and throw the empty bag in the truck. Taping a "Please take as trash" note to it is what finally worked.

Yeah, ditto what other eco-conscious people have said. Depending on what number it is, your local recycling service may take it. I'm very fortunate that my city does nos. 1-7, which is virtually any plastic imaginable.

If it's metal, then it's definitely recyclable.

Ugh, I recently had the opposite problem. My garbagemen thought my (new, nice!) recycling bin was trash :(

If it's still in usable condition, you could offer it up on your local Freecycle group for someone to have if they'll come take it away.

hehehe...good luck and i hope the pickers will get it next time.

Wash it out with the hose and use it as a receptacle for your Goodwill items next time you go to donate. It will save you a box or bag.

hee hee! Love it.

This totally made me LOL. I hate finding a trash can. The Simple Human ones are pretty - but I find that they close tightly enough to allow condensation/moisture to collect inside, which is gross.

really? this is a question on AT? put a note on it and tell them to take the thing!

Put a sign saying 'free' on it and leave it on the curb.

I've had this issue before with a past it's prime recycling bin. I put a note on it that said "I need to be recycled. Please take me." It worked.

There was a cute garbage can makeover on a blog post at Amoretti: http://rebekahmerkle.blogspot.com/2011/10/q-and.html

Basically, it was spray-painted and then she made a band to keep the edge of the bag in place - a cute effect overall if you're into that sort of thing!

Tape a note to it that says "Recyclable trash".

Since it's a plastic garbage can, simply use a utility knife to cut in pieces and place in your regular garbage can, inside a garbage bag, or recycle.

I found myself wondering over the weekend how to dispose of my mom's old mop. We use it to clean up after dog "presents" and we really need to throw it out. The only problem is, our trash pick-up will only take items placed completely in a closed trash bag, and it won't fit. I was wondering if I should try to break it into pieces or something.

We had the same problem. A real Catch-22. The garbage guys threw the bin down and cracked the bottom so the wheels fell off making it unuseable. However, trash/ recycling ordinances in this town are very strict and so they refused to pick it up when we left it out for them as trash or as recycling. We had to break it into smaller pieces and put it into a plastic bag for them to take it.

George Carlin had a whole routine about this..."People keep bringing it back to you saying HEY YOUR TRASHCAN IS IN THE GARBAGE! You have to stomp on it, close the hole, so that it is not useful anymore." Hehehehehe.

Put a FREE sign on it. People will take anything.

This question totally cracked me up too, but only because I had the same problem years ago...and only until I actually wrote "TRASH" all over it did it disappear. But, I don't think it was the trashman - I think it was the people who drive around looking for goodies on trash day. Ha!

http://www.purehome.com

If you have metal shears, cut it into smaller pieces. A sabre saw will do, too, and easier.

I second (third? fourth? fifth?) the ideas of either bringing it to your recycling center and/or putting a note on it. Just like jessicamc, I had the problem where every time I put out the recycling in a small plastic can, they took the can (even after I'd written our Apt. # on it), so it could be worse! You could want the can, and have to keep rebuying one.

As for a recommendation on a new trash can, we have one of the simplehuman half-round step cans (http://www.amazon.com/simplehuman-50L-Liter-13-Gallon-Semi-Round-Plastic/dp/B003VWMS5E/ref=pd_sim_sbs_hg_2) and we love it. It has a nice large step, closes slowly (doesn't slam) and takes regular bags (even though it claims to need special ones). We steered clear of the stainless steel/chrome varieties because spending over $50 on a garbage can is ridiculous.

wash it out and donate it to goodwill? Its then their problem :)

I had that problem. I chopped up the bad can and stuck the pieces inside another trash can. That did the trick.

Losing the will to live.

"This is all trash, INCLUDING the garbage bin itself".

That is what I wrote on a piece of paper I scotched to the bin, and it worked. I think garbage guys are used to this and can detect this trick pretty easily.

I don't have a particular model to suggest for the replacement as I haven't found one myself, but here are the criteria I think are important:

- Try to match the size of your bin to the quantity of garbage you produce between each pick-up. If you recycle a lot and don't have kids, there is no use keeping a huge bin that will take up room. By matching the size to your garbage production, you ensure that you don't have to take out the trash every day but at the same time, you also don't waste precious space on a bin too big for your needs.

- Use a model that closes tightly. If you keep the bin outside, critters will leave it alone. If you keep it inside, you will have no stinky garbage issue.

- Make sure it is a model that allows you to easily tuck the edges of the bag inside. My cat taught me that garbage bags are excellent toys for pets, and when they stick out of the bin, critters may shred the bag so you end up with more garbage on the floor in the shape of bits of plastic bag and you will also have a hard time pulling the full heavy bag out of the bin as it will have less of an edge to grab onto, not to mention you will not be able to tie it shut.

Put a note on it.

On a not unrelated note, when my recycling bin was pilfered (despite having my address painted on it), the city never responded to my repeated requests for a new one. I then lovingly hand painted a plastic bin with the recycle symbol on each side. And the trashmen threw it out.

I had this problem, and even taped a sign to the bin saying "this bin is trash." Apparently the trash collectors in my neighbourhood thought I was being cheeky about the bin's contents, so I put a new sign on it which read "take the m'f'g bin!" Worked like a charm.

Put a "Trash" note on it. And for other large items, look up your city or garbage collector's policies on oversize items. For instance, our collectors will take two oversized (outside of the trash bin) items per month. So I put my large trash items outside with the note, and they disappear.

That's so funny. That would have made a good Seinfeld episode.