Awesome Stuff: Rethinking The... Trash Can?

from the rethink-everything dept

Sat, Sep 13th 2014 9:00am — Mike Masnick

One of the reasons I really like doing these awesome stuff posts each week, looking at a series of crowdfunding projects, is that even when some of the projects are a little nutty, it's interesting to see where and how people are trying to innovate and be creative. Sometimes it's in unexpected places. For example, this week, it's trash cans -- an area that I never thought needed much innovation at all.

Swing Bin The Swing Bin is a very simple, but rather elegant trash bin. I can't quite get over the overwrought language used by its creator, or his exceptionally dramatic narration in the video, in which he talks about how perfecting this trashcan was so difficult he "once gave up, but then I found so many people waiting expectantly." I mean, it's a nice looking trash can -- so nice that people might actually put it out where people can see it rather than hide it. But that doesn't mean anyone was waiting on him to create it.
The Smart Can With a name like the Smart Can, I was expecting something with a bit more "smarts." But it turns out this is just a different way to get a big kitchen trash bag out of the trash can without having to pull the bag up. I'll be honest, I never realized that pulling the bag out of the trashcan was a real problem for anyone (at home we tend to solve this by tossing the inside trash into the big outdoor trash every day). But, apparently someone thinks it's a problem. Even so, I'm not convinced this solution is actually any better. Rather than lift the bag out of the can, you now have to lift the can around the bag. Kinda seems like the same basic issues will remain. You're still lifting something up high. Either way, it's interesting to see people trying something different...

That's it for this week. Enjoy your weekend, and please, take out the trash.

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Filed Under: awesome stuff, crowdfunding, trash cans

8 Comments

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Anonymous Coward, 13 Sep 2014 @ 10:40am

I actually see a point to the Smart Can
Yes, you're still lifting something "up high". But there's a major difference.

1. You're lifting something light up high.
2. The part you're not lifting actually stays on the ground.

I can't tell you how many times I've lifted a trash back from a can and had the can come up with the trash bag. So you're left standing there until the can slowly falls to the ground as air leaks in to break the darn vacuum that caused the can to lift in the first place.
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Nick (profile), 13 Sep 2014 @ 2:45pm

Re: I actually see a point to the Smart Can
Easy enough to put vent holes near the bottom of the can so there won't be a vacuum cause by the bag being removed. Or, alternately, rather than lift the can over the bag, make it so the can has a large door in the side to take it out that way.

I don't see what the smart can's point is, unless there are people unable to lift ~3 pounds of bag high above their heads. If that is the case, lifting the can isn't much better. Side doors, people!
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Toro, 13 Sep 2014 @ 3:13pm

Swing can back to the drawing board
Such a problem in production the swing can.
You would think someone would have noticed that you loose half the depth of the can with the lid swinging in.
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randomjoe (profile), 13 Sep 2014 @ 5:22pm

Smarter trashcan
This is a smarter trashcan.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNWd4FFYDv0
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Rekrul, 13 Sep 2014 @ 5:46pm

The Swing Bin is just a restyling of a design that's existed for years. My kitchen garbage can has a lid that works like that. It doesn't seal quite as well and the whole top comes off rather than just lid, but it works exactly the same way. Put in trash, the lid opens down, remove your hand, and gravity closes it.

I'm surprised that nobody created a "smart" trash can that weighs your garbage and emails you the weekly totals, or that keeps track of how many bags you've used and automatically orders more. Maybe it sends an alert to the garbage men when the weight exceeds a certain amount.
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Cvnk (profile), 13 Sep 2014 @ 10:06pm

Doesn't look like a liner will work with the first one. I'm not a fan of washing out trash cans every time I empty them.
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Someguy, 14 Sep 2014 @ 4:31am

Lifting the bin off of the bag
There is a very simple reason why you would want to lift the bin off of the bag rather than pull the bag out of the bin that I run into on a weekly basis: if you use biodegradable potato based bags, they have a tendency to tear when they are lifted out of the bin. I use them for my bio bin so that I don't have an absolute mess every time I empty it. Unfortunately, the wet vegetables tend to waken the bag, so a simple way to take the bag out would be preferred. To me, it is a good idea with clumsy execution.
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Shaun Wilson (profile), 15 Sep 2014 @ 4:08pm

When the top accomplishment listed is "Smartcan is patented" that kinda reduces any trust I have in the quality of the product. I'm not sure how bad patent trolling is outside the software field but whenever I see a new company promoting its patents I generally assume it will just end up being acquired by a troll or even becoming one.
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