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Buying Guide to In-Cupboard Kitchen Bins

Our fitted in-cupboard kitchen bins are a sleek, effective way to turn a cabinet into a hidden recycling bin. An integrated bin can have a transformative effect on your kitchen, freeing up floor space and keeping the waste and recycling neatly out of sight. Getting the right mix of function and style in the hardest working room in the house is important and a built-in bin is a great solution. Our in-cupboard bins can be to retro-fitted into existing kitchen units or can be included as part of a new kitchen scheme. At Binopolis, we sell only premium quality brands and we are official retailers for Wesco, Hailo, Vauth-Sagel, Ninka, Eco, Gollinucci, Tecnoinox and Blanco, all chosen because they combine great functionality with strong build quality and durability.

Generally, our in-cupboard products can be divided by their opening method:

  1. Our pull-out door products integrate discreetly with your kitchen by attaching to the cabinet door. Pull-out bins offer a greater choice of multiple or larger capacity bin containers and most will give you soft-close functionality. They are supplied as a kit of parts with fitting instructions, and the internal cabinet dimensions must be correct for the bin model. 
  2. Bins for hinged door cabinets are mostly free-standing and supplied ready to simply screw to the cabinet floor, there are a small number of models which attach to the door and are assembled from parts.
  3. If you have a drawer or pan drawer, your bin can simply sit in the base of your existing drawer. These products usually have multiple compartments, but lower capacities due to the height available.

Read on for more details our different types of in-cupboard products:

How to find the right fit:

Answers to frequently asked questions to help find the right product for you

What size do I need?

Bins for cabinets with pull-out doors are a precise fit to the internal width of the cabinet. The dimensions listed in the product titles generally refer to the width of the cabinet door as they are standard sizes, however, it’s important to check that your internal width is correct for the product. For instance, the internal width for a cabinet with a 400mm wide door is likely to be within a tolerance of 362-368mm, which the bin needs to fit to in order to function properly. You can find more information in this regard on product pages.

Capacity and Compartments

Sizes: from 14L to 108L

Our bins come in a range of different sizes, from 14 Litres up to 108 Litres. A standard freestanding kitchen bin is typically 30 Litres so an in-cupboard bin can provide much greater capacity.

Our most popular size is around 80-90 Litres (with 1, 2, 3 or 4 compartments). Most of these larger bin units require a 600mm wide cabinet and are around 580mm high or more and utilise the full height of a cabinet and utilise pull-out doors.

If you have hinged doors then the options vary from single bins from 14 to 55 Litres, 2 compartment options from 30 to 64 Litres and some with 3 compartments. 

Total capacity is largely driven by the width of your cabinet, but even with 400mm, 450mm or 500mm wide units you have options from 58 to 76 Litres, although most will have only 2 compartments.

One, two three or four compartments?

Our range includes bins with one, two three or four compartments. Bins with two or more compartments are perfect for separating waste and recycling. Nearly every local council has a different scheme so you need to choose which is best for your own situation and for which you have space.

Food waste

Many of our multi-compartment bins have a smaller bin that can be used for food waste, although we wouldn’t recommend using anything larger than 12 Litres to ensure its emptied on a regular basis. Alternatively you can incorporate a food bin into the worktop see the Wesco Ergomaster.

Bins for Cabinets with Pull-out Doors

Our in-cupboard bins for cabinets with pull-out doors are a precise fit based on the external width and internal width of the cabinet. The runners need to be fitted to the sides of the cabinet casing and the bin units are designed to fit the internal width of cupboard specified (allowing for carcass widths of 16-19mm each side).

Nearly all our bins for cabinets with pull-out doors are supplied with soft-close runners, which make for easy opening and effortless closing. Bin capacities range in size from 30 Litres for a 300mm wide cabinet up to 108 Litres for a 600mm unit.

If you can choose the size of cabinet for your in-cupboard bin, our general advice is to go for the largest possible as this will provide more options in overall capacity and bin configuration (Our bin units for 600mm cabinets, for example, come in a range of options with 1, 2, 3 or 4 compartments).

These in-cupboard products are provided as a kit and do require some skill in fitting – in particular making sure the runner units are level and attaching the bin unit to the rear of the cabinet door.

Vauth-Sagel, Ninka, Gollinucci, Tecnoinox, Wesco Pullboy-Z and Hailo in-cupboard products are supplied complete with an integrated soft-close mechanism in the bin side panels which are integral to the design. Each bin comes with fitting templates or instructions. (see the respective links on the product pages).

How to measure for pull out bin

When you’re choosing an in-cupboard bin, you’ll first need to establish three key Internal cabinet measurements that’ll indicate which bin you can fit. These are:

  • Internal width
  • Internal Height (do you have the full height to devote to a bin, or do you have a drawer above, or simply not need tall bins?).
  • Internal Depth (from back of the door to the back panel or wall), this is important because depth is the dimension which varies most across cabinets and also bin models.

We stock an extensive range of products to fit numerous cabinet sizes, so provided your own measurements are accurate, you should have no problem finding a bin to fit your cupboard and needs, but if your cabinet is an unusual size, please read on...

My cabinet is a non standard size, what can I do?

Non-standard internal width

The internal width of a cabinet is the key dimension in determining which bin unit you can fit. If you have a bespoke or unusual internal width, you need to re-create the internal fitting width given for the bin, by strongly battening or lining the internal sides to achieve the correct bin fitting width as specified on the product page.

Issues with Internal depth and height

If you have a restricted depth front to back, or lower height, there are many bin options with shorter fitting depths or lower heights. Remember, if it appears that your internal depth is not enough to fit the bin you’re interested in, it can be possible to remove all or part of a back panel in order to free up more depth.

I have an in-frame cabinet: how do I fit a pull-out bin?

The key dimension here is the width of the ‘exit’ through the frame, which will be the door width. Because the bin unit needs to pull out through the frame, this width will determine the size of the bin unit to fit.

If the internal cabinet width is wider than the width of the frame/door, you will need to line or batten the inside cabinet sides to achieve the correct fitting width for the bin model.

For example, if you have a 600mm base unit with a framed door, you will likely need a bin unit from the section for ‘500mm doors’, because these will fit to an internal width of 462-468mm and therefore should pull out through the frame.

One point to check here is with doors which may have a thinner central panel – if the door has a thicker surround, this needs to be wide enough to accommodate secure fixing of the door brackets.

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Bins for Cabinets with Hinged Doors

Generally, the bins for cabinets with hinged doors are the simplest installations. Many of these bins have a metal frame which screws to the base of the cabinet, giving you some leeway as to where you position it within the width of the cupboard.

As these models are self-contained units which simply fix to the cabinet floor and not to the sides, each bin will fit a cabinet with the minimum designated width or wider.

It’s worth noting that the largest capacity double compartment bins for hinged door cabinets are under the heading of ‘400mm hinged doors’ – these can fit cabinets of this size upwards. You could position the bin unit on one side of a wider cabinet and use the remaining space for extra storage.

For every in-cupboard bin for cabinets with hinged doors, we have given the overall product dimensions on the product page below the heading 'Specification', so you can check how it will fit within your cupboard.

We also have a selection of bins which attach to a hinged cabinet door and swing out when the door is opened, allowing for easy access. Please check the product dimensions compared to the space that you have inside the cupboard if looking at this type.

I have a 600mm or wider hinged door cabinet, what are my bin options?

Although there is one Blanco bin model made to fit across a 600mm cabinet, you can also fit a hinged door model by positioning it either in the centre or to one side of the cabinet. for example the largest capacity bins for hinged door cabinets are found under the heading of 400mm doors. Check that you have the depth and height needed for each bin model.

It can be possible to fit two bins for a 300mm cabinet into a 600mm unit, side by side. This method could offer up to 80 litres of capacity by fitting two 40L single bins, or perhaps one single and one double compartment bin, to create a 3 compartment recycling set up.

How do the bin units fit round the hinges inside the cabinet?

The product widths given for the bins which fix to the base of hinged door cabinets are measured at the maximum point, which is across the back of the lid. The height of these bins is designed to fit below the top hinge in most installations, and, at the bottom front of the bin, the combination of tapered bin containers and the open nature of the steel frame means that the units are designed to fit away from the bottom hinge in most common hinge sizes and designs.

Can I convert a hinged door cabinet to a pull-out?

In principle you can remove a door from its hinges so that it becomes a panel to apply to the front of a bin unit for pull-out doors. The internal cabinet dimensions must be correct for the pull-out bin you're looking to fit: please check. If you have an existing side handle, can you alter the handle position, or possibly create a routing or top groove for pulling out? This will help over many years as pull-out bins are best pulled out from the centre to balance the pressure on each runner.

Fitting a bin under a sink

Choosing a bin to go under your sink can be more challenging than doing so for regular cupboard spaces. This is because you’ll need to work around plumbing and the limited cupboard depth.

If you’re looking to install a bin in an existing under-sink cupboard, check the available height under the U-bend and the remaining depth in front of any other plumbing to ensure you measure for a shallow enough bin.

If you are planning to incorporate one of our in-cupboard bins for potential under-sink installation into a new kitchen, consider whether the plumbing can be made to work around your chosen model. Sometimes positioning pipework even a centimetre or so higher can make the difference between being able to fit a bin or not.

Our selection of bins that work well in under-sink cupboards tend to be shorter and are typically under 450mm in depth, with options for a depth of as little as 325mm.

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Bins for Pan Drawers

Drawer-based in-cupboard bins can be a great solution if you need to use the space at the bottom of your cabinet for your recycling and waste. They are designed to be used with an existing drawer but we can supply a drawer with a soft close mechanism if required (for you to attach your own drawer front).

Pan drawers are becoming an established feature of contemporary kitchens and we have a selection of products that can be used with these. The range includes bins that fit pan drawers with an external width from 600mm up to 1200mm wide.

These products consist a set of bin containers to give you flexible recycling and waste storage and a tray to firmly hold the containers. Extra space in the drawer can be used for cleaning materials, liners or papers. The three brands we carry have different bin sizes and heights:

  • The Gollinucci Sistema 9XL range fits drawers 220mm high or taller 
  • The Tecnoinox range fits drawers 255mm or taller
  • The Wesco Pullboy 9XL range is suitable for drawers 300mm tall or higher. 

The Tecnoinox Tecnobig drawer-based bins have an aluminium tray and a set of containers finished with brushed aluminium tops to the lids, giving a premium, minimally styled look and extra durability.

How will the bin fit inside my drawer?

On the product page for each of our Gollinucci and Wesco bins for Pan Drawers, you’ll see that we give the internal width and depth of the product as a range, for example for a 900mm drawer product, we give the Internal width as 780-840mm and the Internal drawer depth 400-490mm. This is because different manufacturers’ drawers can have straight or sloping inside walls, resulting in differing internal dimensions. For this reason this type of product has a plastic base tray which can be trimmed in size with a Stanley knife down to the desired width and depth to fit a range of drawer types. 

Note that the drawer bins by Tecnoinox have a sleek aluminium base tray which can’t be trimmed to size, so we give the minimum internal drawer dimensions needed which are standard to drawers made with Blum Legrabox sides.

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