DecisionalReview.info

Overall Rating

Just what I was looking for…
Rated 5 stars.

Overall Rating

Makes Apartment Recycling Easier & More Organized!
My only regret with my purchase of the Suncast Recycle Bin Kit is that I didn’t buy it sooner. My boyfriend and I both love these bins because they’ve made recycling in our 2nd floor apartment monumentally easier and more organized.

Living on the 2nd floor means hauling our garbage and recycling downstairs. For the first few months at this new apartment, our recycling method consisted of piling up empty jars, bottles, cans, etc. at the end of the kitchen counter, until we finally put them in a shopping bag to carry downstairs to the communal bins. Either our counter was always cluttered, or a bag of recyclables sat by the front door waiting to be brought downstairs.

Now, we have these Suncast bins stacked in our utility/storage closet, conveniently located right between the kitchen and front door. It’s SO easy and convenient now to just open the door, flip open the large flap, and toss the recyclables in. The colors make it even easier to remember what goes in which bin. (Speaking of the colors, as other reviewers have noted, they are brighter in the manufacturer’s picture than they are in real life. I prefer the less neon colors so this was a plus for me.)

Another improvement since receiving these is our recycling output has increased. Whereas previously, I might’ve just tossed, say, an empty paper towel roll, those little things now get put in the bins for recycling. And all those little things sure do add up!

But the biggest improvement is probably that, thanks to the large capacity of the bins, we only have to carry them downstairs to dump in the communal bins once a week–even with our increased output! And despite their large capacity, this stack has a relatively small footprint. There’s still plenty of space left in the closet we have them in.

I’ve gotta tell you–I looked all over for other solutions before finally deciding on this set, and nothing else compared. If I had tons of lower cabinet space, I might have gone for one of those pull-out varieties that require installation. But that’s just not the case for us. Not to mention, those solutions are pricier and have a smaller capacity, so I would’ve likely gone for these anyway. In my search, I actually came across a nearly identical Suncast bin, in a neutral color, sold individually. Even that was significantly more expensive than the per bin cost of this set. I was left with no choice but to purchase this set after determining that, not only was it the best solution, but also the best value!

To sum it up, this Suncast Recycle Bin Kit provides:
* Large capacity for holding recyclables — my household consisting of two adults requires just once-a-week emptying
* A small footprint — takes up less than half of our utility closet’s floor space
* Easy organization — color-coded and stackable with easy access to all three bins
* An unbeatable price — three large, quality bins for this price is an absolute steal

We’ve already raved about these to our friends and I’m completely confident in recommending them to everyone here on Amazon. Trust me when I say you won’t regret this purchase!

P.S. Although these are marketed as recycling bins, they’d make great storage bins for a huge variety of things. We’re considering buying another set to use in our small outside storage unit and on our terrace. Two of them may be used for storing dirt and compost for our container gardening. Imagine how easy it’ll be to just open the flap and scoop out the dirt. There are just so many possibilities for these!

*******

UPDATE 2/5/10: We never did buy another set (ended up just using 5 gal. buckets for dirt, compost, etc.) But the bins are still going strong after more than a year of somewhat heavy use and I really can’t imagine how we’d manage recycling so much without them. Definitely remains one of my favorite purchases for the apartment, in terms of usefulness.