Kitchen Waste and Recycling Planning Checklist

Keep a note of everything thrown away over a spell of ordinary use, separated by type, before deciding how many bins are needed.

The proportions surprise most households, and they are what decides how the space inside the cabinet is divided.

Note which stream fills fastest, since that one determines how often the whole arrangement has to be emptied.

A bin arrangement is generally only as good as its fullest compartment, whatever capacity the others have.

Record whether packaging or food waste dominates, since the two need very different handling and very different containers.

Packaging is bulky and clean; food waste is heavy, wet and smells, and one arrangement rarely serves both well.

Note anything bulky that regularly has to be thrown away, such as boxes that will not fold down into a bin.

Bulky recycling is one common reason kitchens end up with a pile beside the door rather than a full bin.

Consider what is currently taken straight outside rather than kept in the kitchen, and whether that habit would continue.

Anything that leaves immediately does not need space inside, which can simplify the arrangement considerably.

Note anything that has to be kept separate, such as glass, batteries or anything your household handles differently.

Separate streams need their own space, however small, and they are usually forgotten on a cabinet plan.

How particular materials must be handled or disposed of should be confirmed with your local waste authority.

Confirm locally how many separate streams your collection requires and how often each one is taken away.

The number of streams is typically the main input into how the inside of the waste cabinet is divided up.

Collection arrangements vary by area and must be confirmed with your local waste authority rather than assumed.

Note whether any stream is collected far less often than the others, since that one needs the most storage.

Infrequent collection is what causes overflow, and the extra capacity has to be planned somewhere.

Note the size and shape of the containers provided for collection, since the kitchen arrangement has to feed into them.

A kitchen bin that does not match the outside container means transferring waste twice, which nobody enjoys.

Consider whether the collection requirements are likely to change, and whether the arrangement could adapt if they did.

Fixed compartments in a cabinet are difficult to alter, so a little adaptability is worth asking about.

Any change to local collection requirements is a matter for your local authority to advise on.

Note whether anything has to be rinsed or prepared before collection, and decide where in the kitchen that would happen.

Rinsing recycling means the bin arrangement has to relate to the sink as well as to the preparation area.

Consider whether the household will genuinely sort into the number of streams being planned for.

An arrangement that assumes more sorting than actually happens ends up with everything in one compartment.

Note where food is prepared and how far scrapings currently travel from the board to the bin.

That short journey is made many times a day, and every extra step is made with a knife or a full board in hand.

Consider whether the bin sits between the preparation area and the sink, which is the route most often used.

Bins on that route tend to be used naturally; bins elsewhere are walked to, and are often used less.

Note whether a bin under the sink competes with plumbing, cleaning products and everything else already living there.

The cupboard under the sink is often the most contested space in a kitchen and rarely holds everything asked of it.

Consider whether a bin in an island suits how the room is used, or simply puts waste in the middle of everything.

An island bin is convenient for preparation there and awkward for anyone standing at the perimeter.

Note whether the bin position blocks a drawer or a cupboard while the bin cabinet is open.

The bin is open briefly but frequently, so anything it blocks is blocked constantly.

Consider whether a small caddy near the preparation area would reduce the number of trips across the room.

A caddy on the worktop divides opinion sharply, but it solves a real problem in a room with a distant main bin.

Note whether the bin can be opened with a knee, a foot or an elbow, since hands are usually occupied at that moment.

This is often among the most useful properties of a kitchen bin, and one of the least considered when choosing.

Consider a bin that opens with the cabinet door against one that has to be pulled out separately, and try both if you can.

Door linked bins save an action every time, and separate ones open more fully, which suits different households.

Note whether the bin has a lid that must be lifted with a free hand, and how that fits with the way you cook.

A lid controls smell and adds an action, and the trade is worth making deliberately rather than by default.

Consider what happens when the bin is opened while somebody is standing at the worktop directly above it.

This collision happens in many kitchens and is usually predictable from the plan alone.

Note whether the bin drawer opens far enough to reach the back compartment without leaning over the front one.

Rear compartments that cannot be reached comfortably tend to end up unused, whatever the sorting intention was.

Consider whether a child could open the bin arrangement, and decide whether that matters in this household.

Bin access for children is worth a deliberate thought rather than being discovered after the kitchen is fitted.

Anything concerning children and access to waste or cleaning products is worth discussing with a suitably qualified professional.

Decide whether food waste is kept separately, and note where its container would sit between one collection and the next.

Food waste that is separated but stored badly can be more unpleasant than food waste that was never separated.

Note whether the food waste container would sit near a heat source or in direct sun, and consider what that would mean.

Warmth affects how quickly food waste becomes unpleasant, and position is often the main thing an owner controls.

Positions adjacent to appliances or heat sources should be confirmed with the appliance manufacturer and installer.

Consider what happens to smell when the bin cabinet is closed, and ask whether any ventilation is possible.

An enclosed cabinet holds smell until it is opened, which is the moment the whole room notices it.

Whether any ventilation can be provided within cabinetry is a question for the supplier and the installer.

Note where liquid ends up if a bag leaks, and ask what the base of the bin cabinet is made of.

Leaks happen sooner or later, and whether the cabinet base can be wiped out decides how much of a problem each one is.

Consider whether liners are used and whether the arrangement takes a size that is easy to obtain.

Unusual container shapes can require liners that are awkward to find, which is a small annoyance repeated often.

Note whether a food waste disposal unit is being considered, and ask what installing one would involve here.

A disposal unit changes the plumbing under the sink and what the household does with scraps.

Any waste disposal unit involves plumbing and electrical work and must be discussed with the relevant qualified trades.

Note the route waste takes from the kitchen to wherever the containers are kept outside or in a store.

The route is walked with a full bag, and its awkward points decide how often it gets postponed.

Consider whether that route passes through a room you would rather it did not, or through an awkward doorway.

Carrying waste through a hall or a utility affects where the bin is most sensibly placed in the first place.

Note who usually takes the waste out, and whether the arrangement being planned suits that person.

The person who empties the bin has a different set of requirements from the person who fills it.

Consider how heavy a full container becomes and whether it has to be carried down or up any steps.

Weight and steps together are what make a large single bin worse than two smaller ones for some households.

Anything involving lifting or carrying that concerns a household member should be discussed with a suitably qualified professional.

Note where containers are kept outside and whether that position is agreed with anyone else it affects.

Outside storage is often shared or overlooked, and it is easier to settle before a kitchen is built around it.

Where waste containers may be stored may be restricted by the property or the area and must be confirmed locally.

Consider what happens on collection day and whether anything about the kitchen arrangement makes that harder.

Collection day is when the whole system is tested, and a small mismatch shows up every time it comes round.

Note how the bins themselves would be cleaned and where in or around the property that would happen.

If there is nowhere sensible to wash a bin, it tends not to get washed at all, however good the intention was.

Consider whether each container can be lifted out of the cabinet easily, since a fixed arrangement is very hard to clean.

Removability is the difference between cleaning a bin properly and wiping around it.

Note what the inside of the bin cabinet is finished in and whether it can be wiped out completely.

An absorbent or textured interior in a bin cabinet holds whatever is spilled in it.

Consider whether the base of the cabinet can be lifted or removed if something is spilled underneath the containers.

Spills tend to reach the bottom of the cabinet eventually, and getting to them decides whether the smell goes away.

Note whether the runners or the mechanism would be affected by anything spilled onto them, and ask the supplier about it.

Bin mechanisms live in a demanding part of the kitchen and often need more attention than other fittings do.

How a mechanism should be cleaned and maintained is for the supplier to explain.

Consider where a wet or dirty bin would be put down while the cabinet is being cleaned out.

Having nowhere to set the bin down is often why the job gets abandoned halfway through.

Note whether garden waste or compostable material is produced, and where it currently goes.

If material is composted, the kitchen only needs a caddy rather than a full compartment.

Consider whether a caddy is wanted for material taken out to a compost arrangement, and decide where it would sit.

A caddy on the worktop, in the cabinet or by the door are three quite different decisions.

Note whether anything currently stored outside would be better handled in the kitchen, or the reverse.

Moving one stream outside can free the space that makes the whole internal arrangement work.

Consider whether the back door or the route outside is convenient enough for material to be taken out often.

An inconvenient route often means compostable material ends up in the ordinary bin regardless of intention.

Note the weather on the route outside, since a journey in the rain is one that gets postponed until the caddy overflows.

Covered or short routes tend to be used in most weather, and exposed ones are often used far less.

Consider whether outdoor storage is secure against animals, and confirm anything that applies locally.

Containers disturbed overnight create a job nobody wants first thing in the morning.

Requirements for outdoor waste storage vary by area and should be confirmed with your local authority.