Why Martha Stewart's Unique Trash Can Upcycle From 1999 Is Still Clever Today

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A trash bin is a necessity in a kitchen. From wrappers to empty cereal boxes to sugar packets to vegetable waste, there is an endless amount of trash one accumulates in a kitchen. And if you don't have a cabinet to hide your trash can away, a traditional waste basket can look a bit unkempt, boring, or just plain unappetizing in your eating and dining environment. Not to mention, the gross downside of pull-out cabinet trash bins. If there's anyone who has ever considered the visual appeal of trash storage, it's home and garden icon Martha Stewart. And she has some solutions involving rarely used found objects that can make ideal, visually appealing, and functionally sound trash receptacles, transforming your kitchen trash from bland to glam.

One antique store find that Stewart relies on to replace traditional trash cans is a simple pickle crock. Sometimes large enough to hold 20-gallons, these pots are made of stone or glazed clay in browns and grays and even bits of cobalt blue. They have a shiny exterior thanks to salt glazing, which makes them sturdy and attractive. Historically, they were used to store foods like salted meats, pickled vegetables, grains, or even butter, making them ideal for handling the toughest kitchen trash.

A pickle crock is a vessel typically made of stoneware that is used for fermenting foods. Search for them at flea markets, vintage stores, thrift shops, or estate sales. Many will have stamps on the bottoms or sides to indicate manufacturer and age, as well as value. If you can't find an antique one, stores like Ace Hardware sell new crocks, ranging from 1 to 5 gallons in size and with or without lids. If your crock doesn't come with a lid, Martha Stewart suggests having a local sheet metal worker make you a flat copper lid.

To take a page out of Stewart's kitchen design playbook, line your pickle crock with a trash bag and then occasionally use a warm washcloth to clean the inside of the stone and keep it tidy and smelling fresh. Just use these tips since you may have been using kitchen garbage bags wrong this whole time. Or you can seek a cheap plastic container to insert inside and make cleanup even easier. If you're having a hard time finding a larger pickle crock like Stewart used, 3-gallon models can be simpler to hunt down for smaller bits of trash like under a kitchen desk area. Now that you've amplified your kitchen trash storage, here's our guide on how to properly get rid of all kinds of trash.