Ever since the invention of municipal garbage pickup in 1875 (when the filth in London’s streets got to be too much for Parliament to stomach), there have been trash bins.
Müllhäus means “garbage house” in German and Passau, Germany-based Traumgarten has a collection of standard size and custom Müllhäuser with larch wood panels and high-pressure laminate plate doors. Some models have plant trays on top for roof gardens.
Garbage Houses
A Garden Shed With Planter Roof with a cedar roof with a waterproof rubber membrane hides two garbage bins; $995 CAD ($797.50 US) from Redwood Sheds.
Roof Garden Camouflage
A folding Willow Tri-Panel Trash Can Cover has a steel frame and is adjustable; it is $149.95 from Plow & Hearth.
Willow 3-Panel Screens
DIY Willow Screens
With Brainded Willow Panels available in two sizes (36 inches and 72 inches wide), you can make a custom size screen to hide trash bins and garbage cans.
Maria of the gardening blog Almbacken installed a black panel attached to her fance to serve as backdrop to her Swedish garden and a clever cache for her garbage and recycling units. Paint or stain it to match the color of your existing fence.
False Fence
Photograph by Maria Dremo Sundstrom.
A Dustbinbox from Augsburg, Germany-based design@gartenhaus conceals trash cans in a sturdy storage container that’s stylish enough for the front garden.
Dustbinbox
CitiBins
With aluminum frames and side panels made of bamboo composite, a two-door CitiBin modular kit is sized to house a 44-gallon round can or a 30-gallon rectangular can; from $2,850 to $8,250 depending on the number of modules.
Reclaimed Pallet Bins
A Trash And Recycling Bin made from reclaimed pallets is 34 inches long, 34 inches tall, and 18 inches deep; $399.99 from S & S Pallet Creations.
A freestanding MetroBox comes fully assembles and is designed to hide two 32-gallon garbage cans; $1,000 plus $50 delivery fee within New York City.
City Sidewalk Boxes
A Storage Shed with lockable doors and a lift-up lid for easy access can be used to hide trash bins and garbage cans (it’s varmint proof); $292.93 at Hayneedle.
Mini Garden Sheds
With room for both a recycling can and a trash bin, a ventilated spruce Double Wheelie Bin Cover is “the ultimate concealment…the perfect camouflage for your unsightly bins, offering both disguise and protection, all incased within a stylishly crafted frame.” It is £275 from Garden Trading.
Ventilated Lean-tos