Where do you keep your recycling? When you empty a can that can be recycled, where do you put it? We used to have these little crates that some clementines we bought came in on the countertop. We’d fill them to the brim and then finally take them out to the garage and dump them in the recycling bin. Finally I got sick of all that wasted counterspace (and the mess!) and got a little trash can for our recycling to put next to our kitchen trash can. Aw, it was like the kitchen trash can had a little baby. Um, is that good?
No, it wasn’t. How many trash cans do you need in your kitchen? One. Yup, you don’t need a can for your recycling. I am really excited to tell you that I’ve been fortunate to review the Rubbermaid Hidden Recycler and this thing is awesome!
The Hidden Recycler hides inside your kitchen cabinet. No more empty bottles on the counter! Obviously this is the biggest selling point. Hide your mess! I’m all about that. 😉 You just attached these clips to the top of your kitchen cabinet and it holds the recycler right onto the door. I was able to put this together myself, thankyouverymuch. I read the instructions, but you don’t really need to. It’s easy peasy. Some cabinet doors are wider than ours and if the clips don’t fit over the top of your door, you can use screws to attach it. Don’t want to put screws in the cabinets? This would easily fit inside a closet to hold your recycling or all those plastic bags you have no place to go with.
Once you put your empties in the Recycler, you never have to touch them again. The whole Hidden Recycler comes right off the door with a handle. Pick it up, walk it out to your garage, turn it upside down and dump it in your recycling bin, then put it right back on the cabinet door. No grabbing empty cans of cat food and soup one-by-one. I love that. Taking out the recycling has never been easier.
It holds a gallon jug and more. A lot more. You can really get a lot of recycling in this thing, way more than I ever got in my clementine crates or baby trash can before they overflowed. The only drawback I found about the Hidden Recycler is that the more you put in it, the more your cabinet door pops open. But, that’s because I don’t have an empty-ish cabinet to attach this to. So the more I put in it, the more it bumps into my mixer and pots and pans. That’s the Hidden Recycler’s way of saying, “Hey Lindsay. Time to empty me.” So maybe not exactly a drawback – more a little bump to take out the trash. If you don’t have this cabinet-door-opening issue, you can really get a lot in this. We’ve put more than one gallon jug, cat food cans, jelly jars, you name it. It’s a 5-gallon bag!
The Hidden Recycler is washable. Genius, right? You can put the whole thing in the washing machine and clean ‘er right up. I love that you don’t have to touch any mess.
The Recycler and the packaging are all recyclable. How green is that? Pretty awesome. I love that the bag you put your recycling in is also able to be recycled. It’s a cycle of recycling. 😉
It’s affordable: This product retails for only $15.99. That’s a great price and worth it to get your recycling off your kitchen counter. I can’t see this thing ever wearing out, so I think you’d get plenty of bang for your buck at that price.
Isn’t this a cool product? I love having it in our house. Other than that door-popping-open-when-it’s-full issue, which wouldn’t happen to everyone, I have only good things to say about it. It’s working great for us! Rubbermaid has some cool products, don’t they? You can keep up with their latest products and promos by joining them on Facebook and Twitter.
Rubbermaid is generously offering one of my readers a Hidden Recycler of their own! This giveaway runs from May 3 to midnight ET May 11, 2012 and is open to U.S. residents only. You can enter to win here!
I was provided with a Rubbermaid Hidden Recycler to facilitate this review. The opinions in this post are 100% mine. You can read my full disclosure policy here.
Les says
This is a brilliant idea. When running a single can or bottle to the garage is annoying but leaving them on the counter is gross, a small hidden storage container is perfect.
Lindsay says
Exactly! That’s what I love about it. Good luck, Les! 🙂
Lacey Simmons says
I love the fact that its a space saver because I am for sure running out of room in my kitchen!
Zachary Kl. says
I love the versatility of this product, in that it can be used in so many different ways.
Andrea Johnson says
Awesome idea! My kitchen counter and sink area are overflowing as I write with plastic bottles and a recyclable take out container. Just so nice to have an out of sight, neat storage solution until I can put the recyc’s in their larger bins outside. Thank you, Lindsay, for bringing these great ideas to us.
nicole says
I LOVE THE IDEA OF A HIDEWAY TRASH. IT MAKES MY KITCHEN SEEM DIRTY IF YOU CAN SEE THE TRASH. ITS JUST GROSS AND THIS WOULD WORK GREAT WITH 2 BOYS
Emily E. says
We’re moving to a smaller apartment, and this will really help us control the clutter, while doing something super important to our family…Recycling! We <3 Recycling!
Maria Kiguthi says
I love that you can put it in the wash.
Heather Roth says
This would be perfect for us! What’s not to love about this product! Hides the mess of cans and bottles and it’s washable! We have two cats and my husband uses a lot of cans during the week! I’m tired of having my kitchen counter filled with rinsed out cat food, tuna, baked beans, and soup cans, not to mention the other bottles and occasional soda cans! I would be great to have/see my kitchen counter again!!!
Nicole Fenstermacher says
This is so cool, I could stash the recycling away instead of having it pile up on my counter!