
This is a remarkable design that we spotted in the Cranbrook booth (amazing BTW). An elegant trash can in two pieces that you open and close with your foot, made of powder coated steel. Closed pic below.
More info and pics below...

This design, by Grace Youngeun Lee, takes advantage of physics by identifying and using the fulcrum between the two halves. There are no extraneous moving parts.
"Waste Bin
By stepping on the pedal, the bin opens towards you- yet the cover remains stationary. This natural motion is emphasized through a graphic division of color and material."
For additional work, visit graceleestudio.com for Grace and innate-gestures.com for all the students' work.
Comments (24)
those cranbrook peeps are so smart that is a nice design. I would love it for a magazine bin.
I like that!
Great design. Can't wait until I find something similar in the stores.
Beautiful and unique design. But is it functional? Can you use a trash bag? If not, I suppose you would have to pick up the trash pin. That could be a challenge.
i was thinking it would be great for dog food.
BillyRes, I was thinking the same thing. Getting a liner in this thing looks like a pain.
Smart lady, that Grace Youngeun Lee. Simple and elegant.
think it would be just for paper trash... i want it NOW!
i really really really like that!
even if i couldn't get a liner in there, i would find a use for it!
looking really good, but the liner argument is sadly valid …
i think the great thing about plastic bins is that you don't have to add a liner. easy enough to rinse in the tub and spray with a bit of disinfectant imo.
You can always put two of those 3M removable hooks (or even 4, to keep the bag open) on opposite sides on the inside of the trash can, and hook your liner bag 2 or 3 inches below the top of the can. That way, you don't see the top of the bag and you maintain the simplicity of the design, but you can still use it without worrying about cleaning the bin every other week :)
I REALLY like her shoes.
So witty!
gorgeous.
Brilliant Simplicity! And make a smaller version as well?
Good solution, Chikiyuu! That bin is GORGEOUS. Do want.
http://www.abreadaday.com
cool... i want!
that wastebin is just beautiful. it's the Vera Wang wedding dress of wastebins. Lovely.
No, unless I am missing something, this is NOT a good design at all. It may look good, but it's entirely lacking in function. Why does everyone go out of their way to praise something without giving it any thought? Even if you put hooks on the inside to hold a liner, how do you get that liner OUT to empty it? It appears the trash bin only opens as much as it is open in the picture. Therefore, after you threw a few things in, the liner would be bulging too much to extract it easily and it would be a big hassle to get the liner out to throw it away. Ridiculous. Someone can come up with a good looking trash bin that works also. This isn't it. It looks like a rip off.
just closing the bold tag.
nice trash can.
What ARE those shoes???
the white part just slides out completely, no? then you can remove the trash and slide it back in.
TOTALLY agreement with Eclectissima. Also, here are my views.
While this design may appear novel and elegant, i am not confident of its real world functionality or appeal.
1. The bin, being the collecting unit of the garbage, should be the stationary part for simple reasons of mechanical advantage - its weight will be more (also this depends on how full it is). And considering it's made of steel, i would consider it a clumsy idea if the contents of the bin moved every time i stepped on the pedal.
2. The design doesn't allow for the bin to open fully. It looks smart in a picture but, think about it, if a product doesn't offer the full affordance (a design term for the intuitability of response) that a user expects from it, it will diminish 'user satisfaction'.
3. This photograph quite misleadingly shows the bin against a light background so the shortcomings are not apparent but that pedal portion is going to stick out when the bin is not in use (which would be most of the time). And that sucks.
4. And when the bin is carried for emptying, the lid is going to prove to be cumbersome.