Is it rubbish to talk about trash? I mean, we all have it right? This post will cover Creating a Built-in Recycling and Refuse Center.
Creating a Built-in Recycling and Refuse Center
Storybook Cottage had come with a trash compactor. We think it might even have been original to our 30-year-old house. The compactor had seen much better days. We tried it out for a good eight months before deciding it really wasn’t working for us. As you may know, I am a big fan of recycling. The town that we live in has a great program and our recycling bins are picked up once a week. A trash compactor really is best for items such as milk cartons and cereal boxes. Since I recycle these items I didn’t really need them compacted.
What I really needed was a place for my wet and dirty trash. Things like vegetable peelings. Those items are not recommended to go in a trash compactor. So, this beast was taking up valuable real estate in my small kitchen.
Mr. Décor ripped it out. It weighed a ton. I didn’t want it going into a landfill since it still worked so we put it on Craigslist for free. It was gone in a blink of an eye.
Clean Up Crew
Then came the job of cleaning up what was left behind.
I’m not gonna lie, there was a high gag factor involved. It took two buckets of hot water to get the area clean.
I then ripped up the nasty linoleum and scraped up the glue.
I found a local woodworker to create the vision I had for the area. David Logan of New Creation Woodworking made my dream a reality. He truly did a fabulous job matching the existing cabinetry and creating a new drawer.
There was enough room to create a base that could hold two waste bins. One for recycling and one for refuse.
Here is a close up of how the door was attached to the base.
A sign of a good craftsman. The wood base has dovetailing.
The base sits on a metal rail that allows the bins to slide forward or backward when you open and close the door.
Our town requires that recycling be clean so I make sure to rinse out the jars and cans very well before putting them in the back bin. Trash goes in the front bin. I line it with a paper bag. You can get paper bags at most grocery stores. You just have to ask for one instead of a plastic bag.
There is a small area in front of the cabinetry that needs to be retiled where the foot of the compactor sat. Mr. Décor will have it redone tout suite.
Happy Wednesday!
Laura
What a remarkable job – and how nice to be able to rinse out your recycling and put it in an accessible, purpose built container!
This looks fabulous. What a great idea and your carpenter really did do an amazing job.
What a great idea and use of space! Your contractor did a fabulous job matching your cabinetry!
That is an amazing job! I always appreciate the skills of a good carpenter. This one seems to be a real craftsman.
Brilliant idea Laura and you found the perfect guy for the job, it is done with care and quality!!
xoxo
Karena
The Arts by Karena
Gratitude
Great idea. I use a similar one but it was store bought and made by Rev A Shelf but it only works if you already have the cabinet door! Your contractor did an excellent job matching the existing cabinets!
fabulous! we looked into adding a piece on to our existing cabinetry for this idea, and we were quoted a price of 2100 dollars from the cabinet maker. say what?!? now, the boyfriend will have to make the whole cabinet, but i know he's unsure of being able to match the exact stain.
b
So glad you are happy with David. He matched my cabinets and stain perfectly. Yours looks fabulous!
That is as clever as the day is long. Are you still on FB? I haven't been seeing your posts lately. I went to check on you through my blog reader! Old school, I know!
What a great project! I love this kind of update, one that improves appearance and efficiency, as well as supporting your efforts to recycle. Your carpenter did a beautiful job, and you did a great job documenting the change.
BRAVO!
Way to go and redo the dinosaur.
It's clean, it's simple, it fits in!
Wow Laura, between your husband and the carpenter you are one lucky girl. I love your recycling cabinet! Great job. Enjoy the weekend.
Julie xo
Your new recycling drawer is really great looking, Laura. How nice to have it in the same area as the regular trash container too!
Your new recycling drawer is really great looking, Laura. How nice to have it in the same area as the regular trash container too!