A wastepaper basket—or trash can—might not seem like an essential part of a home office. But even if you work on your computer for almost all of your job, you’ll still have assorted trash: packaging, paper, empty boxes—all kinds of stuff. Here’s what to look for in a wastepaper basket.
A classic office trash can is open, so you can crumple up paper and toss it in while imagining you’re shooting a three-pointer. But really, that’s kind of a messy solution. Instead, opt for a can with a lid, which will keep your trash where it belongs and out of sight.
There are plenty of small trash bags available for this size of trash can, but whether you need one depends on what you’re throwing out. For a home office, you might only be tossing paper and packaging into this can, which is dry material that won’t decompose—and doesn’t need a bag. If you’re throwing food into that can? Yeah, get some bags.
Materials are important with kitchen trash cans; plastic can absorb colors and odors from food, and eventually become really unpleasant and discolored. But for an office, when you’re not throwing away anything that can rot, going plastic can be a great way to save some money.
