<p>So the house we bought a few months ago has one of those trash compactors. I just don’t care for it at all. Want to have it removed. Any suggestions on what might fit in the space? Am I missing something and trash compactors are really terrific things?</p>
<p>I think trash compactors are dumb. You could put in a cabinet for trays and cutting boards, it might be big enough for a cabinet that could hold a recycling container. There are also some 15" wine/drink refrigerators: [Built-in</a> Wine Cooler & Wine Refrigerators | BeverageFactory.com](<a href=“http://www.beveragefactory.com/refrigerators/wine/builtin.shtml]Built-in”>Under Counter Built In Wine Storage | Wine Cooler | Refrigerator | Wine Cellar | Wine Cabinet | BeverageFactory.com)</p>
<p>My mother in law has one.</p>
<p>'Nuff said.</p>
<p>lol - yeah! This is one kitchen extra I can definitely live without.</p>
<p>Love the idea of the wine cooler. The darn thing just creeps me out. The cabinets in our kitchen are antique white except on the trash compactor, which is a horrible sort of morphed mustard yellow . . . don’t even like to open the door. Want it out.</p>
<p>sewhappy, instead of the trash compactor you can put in a pull-out trashcan if you can find a cabinet door to match your other doors. I hate trashcans under the sink. A wine cooler is a good idea, too.</p>
<p>We need to make some money marketing a replacement for this sort of space. I’m thinking…a stainless steel, temperature controlled chocolate cabinet?</p>
<p>Sewhappy – If you already have an pull out trashcan in the kitchen, I’d consider transforming that space into another pull out can for recyclables. Our community has three different pickups: trash, compostables, and recyclables (metal, glass, plastic) and I know if I was doing my kitchen again I’d find a way to hide at least two of them in cabinetry, if not all three. I’ve seen some pullouts that allow you to put two smaller trash cans in pull-out, which might also work. (We have found that with the compostables pick up that our weekly trash volume declined tremendously, and I don’t like to let the trash sit around the kitchen very long so we never end up letting the large kitchen trash bag get very full.)</p>
<p>musicamusica - when you get that product to market, PM me!</p>
<p>Minority here- I like my trash compactor. I love the fact that I only have to take out my garbage once a week. I buy the plastic bags for it at Sears. They are sturdy and in 14 yrs have never had one break. I have a recycling garbage can under my island sink and it fills up fast. I hate the overflowing container that I have to nag the kids and H to take out. I would hate to see what my family would do with a garbage can in the kitchen. My compactor front matches my kitchen cabinets.</p>
<p>I took mine out (never used it) and replaced with a rev-a-shelf pullout that holds 2 garbage cans, one for recycling and one for trash. I love it. I have painted cabinets as well and was able to get a door front to match in style and color the rest of the cabinets.</p>
<p>[Rev-A-Shelf</a> - Pull-Out Waste Containers](<a href=“http://www.rev-a-shelf.com/Common/ProductClassification.aspx?class=Waste%20Containers&family=White%20Accessories&category=Pull-Out%20Waste%20Containers]Rev-A-Shelf”>http://www.rev-a-shelf.com/Common/ProductClassification.aspx?class=Waste%20Containers&family=White%20Accessories&category=Pull-Out%20Waste%20Containers)</p>
<p>They sell similar systems at Lowes.</p>
<p>I’m with the folks who say pull-out recycling center.</p>
<p>We have virtually zero trash because we recycle so much. We’d probably really have zero if we composted (sorry sorry, it’s on my “to do” list to get that started). </p>
<p>I consider trash compacters to be right up there with electric can openers as electrical appliances that we do NOT need in this world.</p>
<p>I got rid of mine and put a old fashioned galvanized steel trash can in it’s place. I put it on a gardening roller base stand (the kind you put under a heavy potted plant). </p>
<p>It works great for us. Some people like taking their trash out every day. I am too lazy.</p>
<p>I have a trash compactor and really like it. I can put endless amounts of trash in it and end up with a low volume and just one fairly small bag of trash per week. </p>
<p>If this is the first time you’ve had one you might want to try using it for a while to see what you think of its advantages and then if you decide it’s a waste of space for your waste, you can replace it with something else but of course, you’ll still need some space for your waste.</p>
<p>I have both a trash compactor and an electric can opener. Can’t imagine living without either.</p>
<p>The trash compactor has saved us a TON of money. </p>
<p>Our town requires that we buy special trash bags that cost over $2/bag (this system is becoming fairly common in Maine). All trash has to be placed in these bags. We also have free curbside pick-up for recyclables. We don’t have to sort out plastics, paper, tin cans, etc., - they can all be mixed up together, and don’t have to be in the expensive bags. We also compost.</p>
<p>So we manage to use only one special bag per week because of our trash compactor. I think we would use at least three a week, otherwise (we generate a lot of trash because we have three kids and a home business!). </p>
<p>I can’t imagine living without it, either!</p>
<p>Hmmm . . . that chocolate storage compartment has my motor running. But we do produce what feels like a ridiculous amount of trash so maybe I really should give the compactor a try. It’s just kind of strange why the cabinet front of only that space is discolored.</p>
<p>I get the sense that compacting the trash is a really brutal business.</p>
<p>On our 2nd one. The first one was OK but I found one at Habitat that was better sounding. About 30 years of use. Compacter in the garage. Use regular plastic bags (cheaper) rather than their special bags. </p>
<p>Liked how I could smoosh those diapers until I could hear them squeesh. :)</p>
<p>Three things I HAD to have when we built our house and three things I NEVER use…1)trash compactor 2) convection oven 3) drilling the extra hole in the granite for a soap dispenser.</p>
<p>I agree with LongPrime, regular trash bags work fine in the compactor.</p>
<p>It’s interesting how people differ. I cannot imagine NOT having one! Even the recycling can bugs me, because I have to empty it several times each week into bigger cans in the garage. If I had to do that with trash, also, it would be very annoying.</p>
<p>We are such creatures of habit. 
I cannot imagine NOT taking the garbage bag out to the garage every evening. The recycling bin sits in the walk-in pantry, out of sight, and DH takes it out to the garage as needed. We recycle everything, from junk mail to aluminum lids from yogurt containers! We also have a separate container for food scraps that we empty into the yard waste can nightly.</p>