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A red Rubbermaid 32 gallon outdoor trash can, Behrens galvanized steel 31 gallon trash can, and a yellow Suncast trash can sitting outside in front of a fence. Credit: Reviewed / Jackson Ruckar
Home & Garden

The Best Outdoor Trash Cans of 2026

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A red Rubbermaid 32 gallon outdoor trash can, Behrens galvanized steel 31 gallon trash can, and a yellow Suncast trash can sitting outside in front of a fence. Credit: Reviewed / Jackson Ruckar

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Editor's Choice Product image of Toter Wheeled Blackstone 32-Gal.
Best Overall

Toter Wheeled Blackstone 32-Gal.

Check Price at Amazon

The Toter Blackstone is on the pricey side for a garbage can, but it can fit plenty of bags in its large and well-balanced body. Read More

Pros

  • Fits plenty of garbage bags in its tall frame
  • Well-balanced and stable
  • Attached lid swings open

Cons

  • Doesn't have a way to secure lid down
  • Pricey
2
Editor's Choice Product image of Rubbermaid Brute 32 Gal. w/Lid
Best Value

Rubbermaid Brute 32 Gal. w/Lid

Check Price at Home Depot

The Rubbermaid Brute is a standard can, with no wheels, and a separate lid. That said, it's extremely durable and designed to stay that way. Read More

Pros

  • Durable
  • Easy to empty

Cons

  • Lid not attached
  • Hard to move
3
Product image of Behrens Galvanized Steel 31 Gal.

Behrens Galvanized Steel 31 Gal.

Check Price at Home Depot

Although the Behrens steel can is easy to clean, and it can take an impressive amount of punishment, the lid sticks, and the handles are painful. Read More

Pros

  • Easy to clean
  • Durable

Cons

  • Hard to move
  • Hard to open
4
Product image of Rubbermaid Ace 32 Gal.

Rubbermaid Ace 32 Gal.

Check Price at Ace Hardware

Rubbermaid's Ace Hardware 32-gallon can is affordable, especially for an Ace rewards member. It's not super durable, but it gets the job done. Read More

Pros

  • Affordable

Cons

  • Fragile

  • Toter Wheeled Blackstone 32-Gal.

  • Rubbermaid Brute 32 Gal. w/Lid

  • Other Garbage Cans We Tested

  • How We Tested

  • What You Should Know About Outdoor Garbage Cans

  • More Articles You Might Enjoy

  • Best Overall Toter Wheeled Blackstone 32-Gal.
  • Best Value Rubbermaid Brute 32 Gal. w/Lid
  • Other Garbage Cans We Tested
  • How We Tested
  • What You Should Know About Outdoor Garbage Cans
  • More Articles You Might Enjoy
Jonathan Chan
Written by Jonathan Chan, senior manager of lab operations with a decade of experience testing products.

Updated April 9, 2025

The Rundown

  • Our favorite outdoor trash cans are the Toter Wheeled Blackstone 32-Gal. and the Rubbermaid Brute 32 Gal. w/Lid.
  • We rigorously tested top models for durability, security against animals, and overall ease of use, including resistance to tipping and odor containment.
  • Consider if you need a wheeled can for mobility or a stationary, durable option, and always check local municipality guidelines for allowed types.

You’ve probably never thought about your trash cans much, especially your outdoor trash can. That’s until a raccoon or a rat decides your outdoor garbage receptacle is an all-you-can-eat buffet by getting in your bin and tearing the trash bag to shreds. After an incident like that, your garbage can quickly become the worst thing ever invented. Then comes the headache that is shopping for a new one because the hardware store won’t let you bring your own varmint to see the toughness of each model.

Reviewed is here to help. We spent several weeks prodding, stuffing, and dropping from the second floor some of the top-selling 32-gallon outdoor trash cans to find which ones are worth your money. After tallying up the results, the Toter Blackstone (available at Amazon) proved itself resilient, easy to use, and easy to secure, allowing it to claim the top spot but others were close behind.

A black Toter Blackstone trash can being dragged over an asphalt driveway.
Credit: Reviewed / Jackson Ruckar

The Toter Blackstone outdoor trash can is the best overall trash can we tested.

Best Overall
Toter Wheeled Blackstone 32-Gal.

The Toter Blackstone won our best overall award when it came to a tough outdoor trash cans for a reason. By being versatile, flexible, and mobile it beat out the rest of the competition with ease.

When you first see the Toter, you'll notice that it towers over other garbage cans, measuring in at 37.5 inches tall. During testing, we found that the taller, funnel-like profile increased the odds that the trash bags we dumped were secure. When loaded with trash, we also noticed that the entire barrel leans forward a bit. This design choice lent itself to stability, absorbing normal bumps and shocks without tipping, which was a big plus.

Aside from tipping over, the next biggest headache comes from animals getting into your trash. While the Blackstone does not come with a method to secure its lid, a single bungee cord can turn this garbage can into a critter-proof fortress. All you need to do is to hook the cord onto the handle on the back and stretch it to the one on the front. The swinging lid does make it easier to open with one hand and since it's attached you'll never lose it on windy days.

After taking into account its ergonomic design and rugged construction, we think the Toter Blackstone is going to suit most households as a solid outdoor trash can. It's more expensive than most models but you get quality in return so you won't feel bad about the extra bucks.

Pros

  • Fits plenty of garbage bags in its tall frame

  • Well-balanced and stable

  • Attached lid swings open

Cons

  • Doesn't have a way to secure lid down

  • Pricey

Buy now at Amazon

A grey Rubbermaid Brute outdoor trash can on a sidewalk in front of an open fence.
Credit: Reviewed / Jackson Ruckar

The Rubbermaid Brute is the best basic outdoor trash can we tested.

Best Value
Rubbermaid Brute 32 Gal. w/Lid

We think the name Brute fits this squat and durable trash barrel perfectly. Rubbermaid constructed this model out of commercial-grade plastic to resist cracking, warping, and even degrading from the sun. Even the lid has a ribbed interior to prevent it from getting crushed, which it needed during our testing. Indeed, we assaulted the Brute with boots and mallets, dragged it over cracked asphalt, and even threw it off our loading dock but nothing we did could end this garbage can's reign.

As much as we like its durability, we found that this model has other virtues as well. Its interior has special grooves carved into the side to aide in the removal of garbage bags. If you don't use bags, there are handles on the side and bottom to help empty the Brute.

Amongst all the models we tested, the Brute is the only non-wheeled model that we'd trust to drag to the curb season after season and to weather every condition. It's worth noting that while the lid may be tough, it's not attached so it can still be lost. Plus, while the bottom may be durable it's a pain to drag about. Finally, the Brute's squat design makes it tougher but a low center of gravity makes it harder to pick up.

If you're looking for a heavy duty trash barrel that sit in one spot or if you need a large container for storage, our tests show the Rubbermaid Brute is the way to go.

Pros

  • Durable

  • Easy to empty

Cons

  • Lid not attached

  • Hard to move

$40.97 from Home Depot


Buy now at Amazon


$74.17 from Walmart


$171.26 from Best Buy

Other Garbage Cans We Tested

Product image of Behrens Galvanized Steel 31 Gal.
Behrens Galvanized Steel 31 Gal.

You can't have a roundup of trash cans and not include an Oscar the Grouch house! The Behrens 31 Gallon Galvanized Steel garbage can has plenty going for it. First, amongst all the trash cans we tested, it was certainly the easiest to clean. The stainless-steel body has no odd corners in the interior so it's easy to wash out without having to get down and dirty. Regularly washing out your trash cans can help keep critters away. Not that many pests can chew their way through steel. Our second favorite aspect was this trash can's durability. After accepting all the punishment we had to give, we were able to bend the Behrens back into place and think that it would hold up well over time.

While this garbage can may be good enough to accommodate Oscar, it isn't good enough to take a top spot. One of the reasons is that it's designed to be stationary. We found that the handles are not that ergonomic, cutting into your fingers after only a short distance. If you decide to drag it, be prepared for your neighbors waking up because the Behrens makes quite the racket. Both these issues pale in comparison to the fact that the Brehrens is difficult to open when empty. The lid grips the body strong enough that it takes a bit of trash can yo-yo-ing to get it open. Because of that issue, we think the Brehens would be ideal for holding birdseed or dog food but wouldn't choose it as our preferred outdoor trash can.

Pros

  • Easy to clean

  • Durable

Cons

  • Hard to move

  • Hard to open

$38.47 from Home Depot


$37.98 from Lowe's


Buy now at Amazon


$29.84 from Walmart

Product image of Rubbermaid Ace 32 Gal.
Rubbermaid Ace 32 Gal.

Did you know that Rubbermaid makes an exclusive trash barrel just for Ace Hardware? Now you do. It's basically a wheelless Roughneck with an Ace logo on the side. During testing we found it to be a bit flimsy. The issue was especially true with the domed lid, which was crushed and bent out of shape more easily than its competitors. These durability concerns are not deal breakers but are certainly not attributes of an award winner. The lid popped off when it tipped over and its sides gave way more to impacts so it lost out to other models during testing.

The Ace's performance might not live up to its namesake but it's well priced. You can get a bargain on mediocrity, especially if you're an Ace Hardware rewards member and if you're looking for a low-price outdoor trash can this could be it.

Pros

  • Affordable

Cons

  • Fragile

Buy now at Ace Hardware

How We Tested

A red trash can, silver steel trash can, and yellow trash can sit on asphalt in front of a wooden fence.
Credit: Reviewed / Jackson Ruckar

We tried to get a diverse group of trash cans to test to find the absolute best outdoor trash can.

The Tester

Hi, I'm Jon Chan, the Senior Lab Technician at Reviewed. Along with my colleague Kyle Hamilton, we tested all the garbage cans in this roundup. Over the years I’ve worked here, I’ve tested everything from pocket knives to pressure washers. When it came to trash barrels, I wanted something that could withstand suburban, urban, and rural situations.

The Tests

Gif of a yellow trash can being tossed off of a fire escape, cutting to a close up of the trash can bouncing off of the ground.
Credit: Reviewed / Jackson Ruckar

We tossed selected trash cans from high up to test their resilience.

The testing broke down in the three sections: durability, security, and ease of use.

Durability testing involved a lot of dragging the outdoor trash cans over rough asphalt, tossing them off a three-foot-high loading dock, swinging a ten-pound plate at them, and generally just beating on them. We then assessed each model to check for signs of abnormal wear, any points of failure like cracks or broken wheels, and lids that no longer fit. For several of the models we tested, we even tossed them off 17-foot-tall fire escape for a distance of 18.5 feet!

A person putting a white trash bag in a black outdoor trash can.
Credit: Reviewed / Jackson Ruckar

We used a mixture of wet sand, cardboard, paper, and metal weights to simulate garbage.

Security testing included checking how well each model resisted tipping over, how animal resistant they were, and how well they held in odors. The tipping test involved swinging a weight at both the top and bottom of the trash can and also a few good elbow strikes for good measure. The animal resistance test involved binding my hands in duct tape and then attempting to open the trash cans by any means, including knocking them over and belly flopping on them, because you never know how big your neighborhood critters are. Finally, we did a sniff test. We placed smashed 20 beads from inside an air freshener inside selected cans then placed them in an isolated area. We then asked volunteers to give the area a whiff.

Third, on our list was the ease-of-use testing. We created our own trash loads consisting of wet sand placed in ziplock bags, crumpled up printer paper, ripped up cardboard, and bolts of cloth into three kitchen trash bags. We also placed metal weights on the bottom of each trash barrel. In total the entire load tipped the scales at 70 pounds. We also noted how easy it was to place the bags in. The next test was to gauge how the amount of effort it took to lift each model, which is important if you have to empty your trash into a dumpster.

What You Should Know About Outdoor Garbage Cans

Animal Resistance

Tester with brown hair and glasses trying to open a trash can with his hands taped up to simulate an animal's paw.
Credit: Reviewed / Jackson Ruckar

As silly as it looked, we tried to test how animal resistant each trash can was by wrapping our hands up.

Your refuse can attract everything from mice to bears, and everything in between. However, for our testing purposes, we considered no animals larger than a raccoon. Bear-proofing your garbage requires either a specialized and expensive trash can, a shed, or the use of spotlights. There are also straps you can get that can help secure your lids but they're not that great. The most important part about keeping critters out of your garbage is to secure the lid and keep smelly refuse in air-tight bags.

Do I Need to Buy a Garbage Can?

Some municipalities have guidelines for what garbage cans are allowed and in some circumstances provide them. Your landlord or real estate agent should have the details about the local rules.

Wheeled vs No Wheels

When the average family of four produces around 80 pounds of refuse a week why wouldn't you want a trash barrel with wheels? Simplicity is a good answer. If a wheel or axle on a wheeled trash can breaks, it's kaput, they typically don't have the handles or smooth bottoms to carry or drag them anywhere. An outdoor garbage can with no wheels also tends to be cheaper. So it's a good idea if you're getting one for storage.

Meet the tester

Jonathan Chan

Jonathan Chan

Senior Manager of Lab Operations

@Jonfromthelab1

Jonathan Chan currently serves as the Lab Manager at Reviewed. If you clean with it, it's likely that Jon oversees its testing. Since joining the Reviewed in 2012, Jon has helped launch the company's efforts in reviewing laptops, vacuums, and outdoor gear. He thinks he's a pretty big deal. In the pursuit of data, he's plunged his hands into freezing cold water, consented to be literally dragged through the mud, and watched paint dry. Jon demands you have a nice day.

See all of Jonathan Chan's reviews

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