This Smart Trash Can Seals and Replaces Its Own Bags

published Jan 5, 2020
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If you hate handling the trash can, there’s an invention that can help. A self-changing smart trash can seals bags once they’re full and replaces them with new bags, so all you have to do is take out the trash.

The innovative trash can, created by Toronto-based tech company Knectek Labs, is called the townew, and it became available this fall after a successful campaign on Indiegogo

Here’s how it works: Once your trash bag is full and you’re ready to take it out to the curb or the dumpster, you press a button on the front of the trash can. The button triggers the movement of two arms inside the top of the can. They slide like the light in a flatbed scanner, one horizontally and one vertically (you can see a cool video on the product website), sealing the old bag shut. When you take that bag out, the trash can will insert a new one, so you don’t have to.

The townew trash can does require special bags that work with the sealing mechanism. Called “removable refill rings,” they come in packs of 25. Three packs cost $18 total (which Business Insider compares for reference to a 90-pack of Glad bags that costs $13 on Amazon). The refill rings also come in a biodegradable option, which costs $27 for a pack of 75.

The smart trash can has other special features besides self-changing bags. An overload feature allows it to sense when it’s full so it can seal itself, avoiding spillage and mess. It can also sense approaching objects (i.e. you and other trash-can-using members of your household) and open its lid so you don’t have to touch it at all. It has a rechargeable battery that lasts about one month per charge. And last of all, it’s odor-containing—because if you don’t want to touch your trash, you probably don’t want to smell it either.

To learn more or to buy the townew trash can (which is marked down right now from $120 to $100), visit the product website here.