What size litter bin do I need?
Litter bin capacity is quoted in litres, and the right number depends on three things: how many people pass the bin, what they are throwing away, and how often somebody empties it. Get any of those wrong and you either buy a bin that overflows by Tuesday or one that costs more than it needed to.
A rough guide by location
| Location | Typical capacity | Emptying |
|---|---|---|
| Office entrance, small courtyard | 30 to 50 litres | Weekly |
| Car park, business park path | 50 to 70 litres | Twice weekly |
| School playground | 70 to 90 litres | Daily in term time |
| Park, high street, bus stop | 90 to 120 litres | Daily |
| Event space, food outlet nearby | 120 litres or a recycling point | Daily or more |
Food waste changes the answer
A bin near a sandwich shop or a canteen fills far faster than the footfall alone suggests, because packaging is bulky and drinks cartons do not compress. If there is food nearby, size up one band and empty more often. A bin with a liner and a hinged lid is worth the extra here: it keeps smell down and stops birds pulling waste back out.
Two smaller bins usually beat one large one
People do not walk far to bin something. If a path is long, two 50 litre bins at either end collect more litter than one 100 litre bin in the middle, and each is lighter to empty. Distance to the nearest bin is the single biggest factor in whether litter ends up on the ground.
Material
- Steel: the default for public areas. Hard wearing, takes a powder coat in any colour, resists vandalism.
- Recycled plastic: will not rot, rust or need repainting, and suits coastal and wet sites where steel struggles.
- Wood: softer visually, common in parks and heritage settings. Needs occasional maintenance.
Do not forget how it is emptied
A 120 litre bin full of wet waste is heavy. Check whether the bin opens at the front or lifts from the top, whether it takes a standard liner, and whether the person emptying it can reach it with a barrow. An open-top bin is quicker to empty but fills with rain.
Recycling points
If you are separating waste, a recycling point with two or three apertures replaces several single bins and makes the streams obvious. Colour-coded apertures shaped for the waste type, a round hole for cans and a slot for paper, cut contamination noticeably.
Every bin we sell states its capacity in litres on the product page, so you can match the guide above to a real product. If you would rather talk it through, tell us the site and the footfall and we will suggest a size and a quantity.