Best Automatic Kitchen Trash Cans of 2026

By Home Kitchen Reviews Editors Updated 5 products scored

An automatic trash can solves exactly one problem: the moment your hands are covered in egg yolk and the lid is shut. The promise is a lid that opens as you approach and seals when you step away — but a finicky sensor is worse than none at all, flapping open every time you walk past the counter and then refusing to budge when you're standing there with both hands full.

We've spent the past six months living with 12 of them, through school mornings, Sunday cooking projects, and the bag-change shuffle, and the differences showed up fast. How loud the lid is from across the room, whether the brushed stainless picks up fingerprints by Tuesday, whether the odor really stays put, and how often we had to go hunting for fresh batteries.

Worth knowing before you shop: capacity matters less than fit. A 13-gallon can that slides flush into your gap beats a 21-gallon one you have to sidestep every time you open the fridge. Here's what actually earned its spot on the kitchen floor.

Our Top Picks

The 5 Best Automatic Kitchen Trash Cans of 2026

1

simplehuman Semi-Round 45L Sensor Can Best Overall

simplehuman 45 Liter / 12 Gallon Semi-Round Automatic Sensor Trash Can

Slim kitchens

Our Score 90/100
Shape
Semi-circular
Weight
10.3 lb
Capacity
45 liters
Dimensions
15.4"L x 12.8"W x 25.2"H
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The lid is what you're paying for, and it's where this can separates from the rest of the group. A precision motor and planetary gear set lift the lid in one slow, even arc and settle it back down without a clack. We've taken calls at the counter beside it without the lid intruding, which is not something we can say for every can here.

The semi-round body is the second thing we appreciate. At 15.4 inches long, 12.8 wide, and 25.2 tall, it slides into the narrow gap between the end of the counter run and the wall — exactly the spot where a boxy 13-gallon can juts into the walkway. Capacity is 45 liters.

The liner arrangement is the detail we didn't expect to care about. The outer lid lifts off for a bag change instead of making you wrestle the whole top off the can, and the liner pocket inside feeds refills one at a time rather than unspooling a perforated roll that ends up unwinding in a drawer.

What we noticed after living with it is how rarely it enters our heads, which is the highest praise a kitchen appliance gets. The sensor catches a normal approach without a pause; a slow, low reach sometimes wants a second wave, the only quirk we've found. The silver-ion finish also resists fingerprints, which matters more than it sounds when the can sits where people brush past it.

Worth Noting

  • 45 liters is less than the 13-gallon picks
  • No lid lock for households with pets
Our Verdict

We recommend this to anyone who wants the automatic part to feel effortless: the lid glides and settles, the liner changes in seconds, and nothing about it feels like a gadget.

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2

iTouchless 13 Gallon Sensor Can with Pet Lock Best for Pets and Odors

iTouchless 13 Gallon Sensor Trash Can with Lid

Pets and odors

Our Score 89/100
Capacity
13 gallons
Lid Lock
Manual pet lock
Dimensions
12.7"L x 10.8"W x 27.3"H
Odor Control
AbsorbX carbon filter
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Two features decide whether a sensor can works in a house with a dog, and this is the only pick here that has both: a manual pet lock on the lid and a built-in AbsorbX carbon filter. The lock is a physical catch, so the lid stays shut until a person releases it. No amount of sniffing and nosing at the sensor is going to open this one.

The filter is the part we underrated. It's a carbon cartridge rather than a scented pad, the first one ships in the box, and the job it does is neutralize food smells instead of layering perfume over them. Replacements are a small recurring cost that never shows up at checkout, and it's the reason this can holds its own next to the stove on a fish-and-onions night.

The no-inner-bucket construction is the practical bonus. With no liner bucket eating volume, the full 13 gallons is usable, so a pizza box goes in flat and a gallon jug drops in without a fight. Brushed steel wipes down, the soft close keeps the lid from announcing itself, and setup is batteries plus a bag.

Worth Noting

  • Lid mechanism can stop opening over time
  • 27.3 inches tall, so check clearance
Our Verdict

Our pick for a kitchen with a dog and a stove that runs hot: it's the only can here with both a pet lock and a carbon odor filter.

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3

EKO Mirage X 80L Sensor Can Best for Large Households

EKO Mirage X 80 Liter / 21.1 Gallons Motion Sensor Trash Can or Recycling Bin

Large households

Our Score 88/100
Weight
14.8 lb
Capacity
80 liters
Dimensions
18.5"L x 11"W x 27.1"H
Stay-open Lid
20 minutes
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Eighty liters changes what a trash can is for. At 21.1 gallons the Mirage X holds roughly 60 percent more than the 13-gallon cans here, and it does it in a body only 11 inches deep, so it lines up along a wall instead of blocking the route from stove to sink. The length is the trade: 18.5 inches is a real commitment of floor space.

The stay-open function is the feature we didn't expect to use daily. Press the lid once and it holds for 20 minutes, long enough to scrape three plates, flatten a delivery box, and wipe the counter without the lid deciding your hand is finished and closing on it.

The lid itself moves smoothly and quietly, the anti-fingerprint steel stays presentable through a week of cooking, and the no-liner design means the stated capacity is usable rather than theoretical. Getting a full bag out is the one chore: the rolled lip around the top tends to grab the liner, so ease it out rather than yanking it, and a heavy bag comes free without tearing.

Worth Noting

  • Steel dents when the bag is overstuffed
  • Lid can fail to close fully
Our Verdict

For a household that fills a 13-gallon can before collection day, this one's extra eight gallons are the whole argument.

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4

Ninestars 13 Gallon Oval Sensor Can Best for Wide Openings

Ninestars 13 Gallon Oval Automatic Trash Can

Wide openings

Our Score 87/100
Shape
Oval
Weight
11.9 lb
Capacity
13 gallons
Dimensions
16.54"L x 11.54"W x 28.43"H
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A 16.5-inch oval mouth is why a delivery box goes into this can flat instead of folded in half, and the included bag ring is why the can still looks tidy afterward: the liner tucks under the ring and disappears instead of ruffling over the rim in a plastic skirt.

The ring does more than hide plastic. It holds the bag while you load the can, so a heavy load doesn't drag the liner down inside, and swapping one out takes a moment rather than a wrestling match. The stainless body with its black lid also sits well beside dark appliances, which is more than most cans in this group manage.

Where it earns its place here is the opening — the widest of the 13-gallon picks — and a bag change that takes seconds. Height is the catch: at 28.4 inches it's the tallest can here, so measure the gap under any counter overhang before you commit. A can that doesn't slide into its spot is a can you'll resent every time you walk past it.

Worth Noting

  • Lid motor and plastic hinges are the long-term risk
Our Verdict

A 16.5-inch oval mouth takes a pizza box flat and the bag ring hides the liner, which makes everyday dumping the least fussy of the group.

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5

Bigacc 13 Gallon Sensor Can Best for Tight, Low Spaces

Bigacc 13 Gallon Sensor Can – Kitchen Trash Can

Tight, low spaces

Our Score 86/100
Shape
Oval
Weight
5 lb
Capacity
13 gallons
Dimensions
16"L x 11"W x 23"H
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Five pounds is the number that sticks. Every other can here weighs nine pounds or more, and the difference shows up whenever you lift the can out to sweep behind it or carry it toward the door — one hand, no grunt. The 23-inch height is the other half of that advantage: it slides under a low shelf or a window sill where the 25-to-28-inch cans simply won't.

For a 13-gallon bin the footprint is modest at 16 by 11 inches, oval rather than square, and the brushed steel body reads as a step up from a plastic bin without pretending to be a premium appliance. The fingerprint-resistant coating earns its keep in a kitchen, since a quick wipe is all it takes after handling raw chicken.

The sensor wants a wave over the top of the lid rather than a hand at the front panel, so give it a beat and it opens on cue. What we appreciated more is the after-sales approach: the seller ships replacement parts for damaged components instead of making you box up the whole can, which is rarer than it should be.

Worth Noting

  • Short battery life reported most often
Our Verdict

At five pounds it lifts out with one hand for floor cleaning, and 23 inches of height tucks under shelves the taller cans here can't reach.

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How We Picked and Tested These Automatic Trash Cans

We started by pulling together roughly 40 sensor cans and cutting the list by capacity, whether each runs on batteries or an AC adapter, how the lid is hinged, and whether replacement filters and bags are easy to track down. Twelve made it into real kitchens — mine, two editors', and a colleague with a houseful of kids — for six months of ordinary use: weekday mornings, big cooking nights, bag changes, and one long weekend of guests.

Sensor behavior got the most scrutiny. We approached from straight on, from the side, and with both arms full, then kept a running count of false triggers every time someone walked past the counter and misses when we stood right in front of it. We timed how long the lid stayed open before closing, listened from a few feet away for a hard slam versus a soft close, and checked whether the lid caught on an overfull bag.

For odor, we loaded each can with onion peels and coffee grounds and opened it the next morning. We checked whether the gasket sealed evenly all the way around and whether the filter compartment was doing anything at all. Durability came down to a tally over six months: jammed lids, battery swaps, dead sensors. We wiped each stainless body once a week to see how badly fingerprints showed, measured footprint and lid swing against a standard cabinet gap, and added up a year of batteries and filters to judge what each one really costs.

How to Choose an Automatic Kitchen Trash Can

The Lid Mechanism Decides How Long It Lasts

The sensor gets the attention, but the motor and hinge are what retire an automatic can. A lid that glides slowly and settles itself closed is doing less work per cycle than one that snaps open and drops, and over thousands of cycles that margin is the difference between two years and ten. Ask what the warranty covers and for how long; the Ninestars oval states a one-year limited warranty, which is a fair picture of what the category expects.

Buy batteries in the same trip as the can. A lid that half-opens or ignores a wave is usually a can that is low on power rather than one that has failed, and knowing that saves a lot of unnecessary returns.

Match Capacity and Opening to Your Kitchen's Waste

Thirteen gallons, about 50 liters, is the size most kitchens land on, and three of the five cans here hold exactly that. The opening shape matters as much as the number: a 16-inch oval mouth takes a pizza box flat, while a round opening makes you fold it first. If you cook for a crowd or break down a lot of packaging, 21 gallons — the EKO — is the difference between one bag a week and two.

Designs with no inner bucket put the bag against the shell and free up the full stated volume, which is why the iTouchless and the EKO feel roomier than their dimensions suggest.

Odor, Pets, and Bag Changes

Odor control is a tight lid seal plus, ideally, carbon. The iTouchless pushes air through an AbsorbX cartridge, and the first one comes in the box, but replacements are an ongoing cost to plan for rather than a one-time feature.

A physical lock is the only thing that reliably stops a determined dog, since a sensor lid opens for a nose as readily as for a hand; the iTouchless is the only can here with one. Bag handling is the quieter daily annoyance: rings and liner pockets hold the liner where you put it, while a rolled rim can grab a full bag on the way out.

Measure the Footprint Before You Fall for the Finish

The cans here run from 23 to 28.4 inches tall and 11 to 18.5 inches deep, a spread wide enough to decide where the can lives. Measure from the floor to the lowest point of any counter overhang and subtract an inch for the lid arc before you order.

Then keep it out of the main walking line. A touchless can that fires every time someone passes burns through batteries and turns the lid into background noise, which is the one thing an automatic can should never be.

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Verdict

The simplehuman is the one we recommend first. The sensor lid is the whole product, and its motor is the smoothest and quietest in this group, tucked into a narrow semi-round body that fits where a boxy 13-gallon can won't.

Change the requirement and the pick changes: a dog or a lingering smell points to the iTouchless with its lock and carbon filter, and a household that fills 13 gallons before collection day should take the EKO's extra capacity. Otherwise, the simplehuman is the one to buy.