Pantry Update: Installing a Pull-Out Trash Can and Making the Most of Cabinet Space

Thanks for all the ideas on our pantry project. After thinking through the options, we decided to clear the pantry completely — shelving, contents and the door — so we could prime and paint the space from scratch. That reset also gave us a fresh perspective on how to use adjoining cabinets more efficiently.

One immediate change: the trash can won’t be returning to the pantry. Instead, it now lives inside the cabinet at the end of our peninsula, facing the prep area. This frees up valuable pantry floor space and is more convenient for everyday use. Excuse the pantry cast-offs on the counter in these photos — we were in the middle of a big clear-out.

We spent some time weighing pros and cons. While the pantry option didn’t cause noticeable odor problems during the month we used it that way, moving the trash made sense for three main reasons:

• The bottom of the pantry can be put to better use for storage if it isn’t dedicated to a trash can and the extra clearance the lid needs.
• A step-on can behind a pantry door isn’t as hands-free as we thought — opening the door then positioning your foot is less efficient than having the can accessible in a cabinet you can open and reach into.
• The cabinet at the end of the peninsula was hardly doing anything useful except holding a few vases, which felt like a missed opportunity.

Instead of simply dropping a bin into the cabinet, we chose a pull-out solution many readers recommended: a Rev-A-Shelf pull-out trash container. A larger two-can model exists, but our cabinet size meant a single can would fit best. A smaller can also encourages more frequent emptying, and we’ll address recyclables separately as we refine our setup.

The cabinet wasn’t an ideal fit right away. A barely visible built-in half-shelf in our lower cabinets prevented the can from sitting all the way back. That shelf is nailed in place and not removable, so some modification was needed.

I followed the pull-out kit instructions: I positioned the paper template, drilled pilot holes and screwed the two tracks into the cabinet floor. Snapping the remaining pieces into place went quickly and would have taken under ten minutes if not for the half-shelf complication. Having the track installed let me mark exactly where to cut the shelf notch (you can see the green tape marking the line).

To create room for the can I needed a 3″ by 8″ notch. I used a compact plunge saw for the cut because it’s small and precise for this sort of job. The cut was quick but dusty — sawdust was everywhere — so plan for cleanup when you tackle similar modifications.

After cleaning up, the can slid into place and the vases went back on the shelf. The basic install was done, but I wanted to improve the cabinet function even more.

Rev-A-Shelf also offers a door-mounting kit designed to attach the cabinet door directly to the sliding mechanism, so the door pulls out with the tray. I picked up that kit to make the cabinet behave like a modern pull-out unit.

The door kit installation was a bit fiddly; the instructions were not as detailed as I would have liked. The main idea is to attach two small bracket “fins” to the sliding part of the tray, then secure larger brackets that will hold the door.

Those tiny nuts and screws are awkward to handle, which made the job slower than the track installation. Once the small pieces were in place, the larger brackets bolted on and provided the mounting points for the door.

When I tested the setup without the door attached, I realized the kit assumed a modern door style. Our older door is half-recessed into the cabinet frame — it sits on a lip and has an inset section — so the brackets were overhanging the frame and the door wouldn’t sit flush.

I improvised by reversing the orientation of the brackets so they faced inward rather than outward. That adjustment solved the fit issue. To align the door perfectly with the adjacent cabinet, I used the included double-stick tape as a temporary positioning aid. The tape holds the door in place while you test alignment and then lets you remove the assembly to tighten screws from the inside.

Once the door was secured to the brackets and the screws were tightened from the back, the cabinet went back together. There was a fair amount of disassembling and reassembling, but the finished result looks clean and functions smoothly.

Although we gave up some capacity compared with our old, larger can, the new pull-out unit is simple to install, feels more modern and makes the most of this underused cabinet. We can reuse the system in a future kitchen, or even keep it in place if these cabinets are repurposed for a garage workshop — that would be a nice upgrade down the line.

The remaining small task is to touch up the screw holes where the original hinges sat. I’m also pondering whether to reinstall the hinges as decorative dummy hinges so the doors appear symmetrical. That’s a minor project for another day.

We also picked up baskets, bins and other organizers for the pantry, so once priming and painting are complete we’ll reintroduce items in a more organized way. With the amount of snow we’ve been getting lately, we expect to have some uninterrupted time to finish the pantry overhaul — then the pantry party starts for real.

P.S. If you want more home improvement updates, check our home improvement category for additional posts and project inspiration.

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