Look! A Glass Trashcan

No, you're right. There's nothing particularly novel about using a heavy glass vase as a trashcan and yet we like it. Suddenly you are more aware of what's being thrown away than if it's hidden away. The trash becomes part of the decor and it's not always pretty. So you stop and think...

How will this look in my trash? Maybe even, ultimately, in a landfill? As Danny Seo, an editor with Better Homes and Gardens and a green consultant for JCPenney, pointed out on his blog, the Daily Danny, perhaps if you can see it, it may make you want to throw it away less or find another, more conscientious way of disposing of it. We're going to try it. How about you?

[Image from The Daily Danny]

Comments (9)

Imagine cleaning that deep trash can when liquid spills out of it ... one can only shudder!

posted by AT4H on July 2nd 2008 at 8:32am
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Nope. I don't want to be able to see my icky trash. I would be constantly emptying it so I wouldn't have to look at it, and that would be a pain. I already recycle, so that's not an issue.

posted by jooly on July 2nd 2008 at 8:59am
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I know I'd throw something hard at just the right angle: shatter! (I've done it twice with wine glasses just this week.)

posted by raisinette on July 2nd 2008 at 9:20am
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I have a wire mesh garbage can that's fairly see-through, and I actually like how it looks with (non-food) trash in it. Kind of gives a sculptural quality to what you throw away, and makes picking stuff out for recycling a lot easier.

posted by ChristopherB on July 2nd 2008 at 9:48am
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i have one in my study. only paper stuff get in this glass trash can. of course we are not stupid to put one of this in the kitchen and throw hard stuff in.

It actually looks darn good when it's full of papers, and then i clean those papers out to recycle. it works as a separater for us so my boyfriend won't throw all the trash into trash can and it sure make recycle easy.

posted by melyan on July 2nd 2008 at 9:58am
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...*than* if it's hidden away...

Please review and edit. We all make typos from time to time, but posting an unchecked bit of text really detracts from the story.

posted by otis on July 2nd 2008 at 10:00am
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Yes, I have a mesh can as well and don't throw liquids into it..and really, shouldn't you pour them down the drain to prevent messes any way?

posted by laddibugg on July 2nd 2008 at 10:53am
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We are not going to try it. We think this is a bit of ecopiety-douchiness and we hate the moralizing much more than the sure-to-be chipped vase.

posted by luckypeach on July 2nd 2008 at 4:19pm
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Good for a trial if you want to see your garbage, but not good design-wise. Then again, I'm trying to think how you'd be unaware of your trash enough to need a visual cue to become less ignorant, if that's your idea. Reminds me of those really expensive hangers that automatically organize your closet, or make you think it will be easier to do. As I've said before, I just don't like bins that scream out, "Here's the garbage! LOOK! I have trash in me."

posted by K T G on July 2nd 2008 at 4:42pm
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