50 Litre Infrared Sensor Bin with Touch-Free Lid

Most bins ask for a hand or a foot on the lid at exactly the moment when both are full, wet or dirty. This one does not. Hold a hand above the lid and the infrared window under the front edge picks it up, the lid lifts, and once the space above it is clear again the lid drops back down on its own. It is a full-height household bin, sized for the room where the rubbish actually accumulates rather than for a cupboard under the sink.

The barrel is steel with a smooth face that takes a damp cloth, and it stands on a moulded ABS base that keeps the metal off the floor. The whole sensor lid lifts away from the body as one piece, which is how the bin comes out of its carton, and a removable inner bucket sits inside with a bag-retaining ring that grips the liner so a heavy bag cannot slide down between the bucket and the wall of the bin. There is a choice of two finishes, brushed stainless steel or matt black.

Two buttons on the panel put the lid back under manual control whenever the automatic behaviour is not what is wanted. One holds the lid up while a bag is being changed, a full load pushed down or a stack of packaging fed in; the other hands the bin back to the sensor. A small countdown display sits between them and shows the seconds ticking away before the lid closes. A rocker switch on the rear of the collar turns the sensor off completely for cleaning, moving or storage.

Power comes from four D cells in a compartment moulded into the underside of the lid, so nothing has to be routed to a socket and the bin can stand wherever it is needed. The cells are not supplied with the bin. The manufacturer quotes three to six months of life at around twenty openings a day.

The oval shape is slim from front to back, which is what lets it stand flat against a wall or tuck into the corner of a fitted kitchen instead of jutting into the walkway. It suits busy family kitchens, offices and waiting rooms where a lid handle collects fingerprints all day, and salons or treatment rooms where hands are gloved, wet or full. Because the electronics live inside the lid, clean the bin by wiping rather than rinsing, and keep the sensor window out of strong direct sunlight.