These unexpected dumpster concepts put new artistic, fashionable and often entertaining twists on garbage receptacles. While the metal boxes may be sites for maggots and food decay, urban planners and designers have breathed new life into the objects, making them more approachable and appropriate for modern society.
Trash bin pools and upcycled steampunk sculptures have come to dominate city streets and museum walls. The concepts are unexpected, enticing viewers to find out more about the ideas that lay behind the enterprises.
Among the more common considerations is the need for green metropolitan spaces. These dumpsters are typically transient, enabling municipal decision-makers to have them picked up and moved with ease to neighborhoods that may be in need of some sprucing up.
20 Unexpected Dumpster Concepts

20
Recycling-Themed Fashion
The Interview Russia June-July 2012 Editorial Shows Sustainable Clothes

19
Dumpster-Made Cafes
The FOUNDation Project Uses Trash Containers as a Base for Coffee Shops

18
Garbage Can Caricatures
Timm Schneider Nudges Urbanites to Take Notice of Their Surroundings
17
Trash Bin Pools
Louisa Dawson Juxtaposes Poverty to Luxury with These Ironic Sculptures
16
Personal Dumpsters
The Bagster
15
Gritty Graffiti Compartments
Desktop Dumpsters Brings the Flair of Street Art to Your Table
14
Dumpster Fashion
NYC Fashion Trend From the Garbage Dump
13
Dumpster Pools
Manhattan Beats the Heat with Unconventional Swimming Spots
12
Upcycled Steampunk Sculptures
Gone Postal by Michael Ulman is a Fantastic Found Material Creation
11
Urban Dumpster Gardening
Michael Bernstein's '10 Yard Forest' Uses Trash Cans
10
Decorative Dumpsters
Wallpapered Dumpsters Considered "Polite Graffiti"
9
Tragic Book Trashing
Borders to Destroy Tens of Thousands of Books as Waldenbooks Closes
8
Dumpster-Diving Photography
'Rubbish' From Diver and Aguilar Peeks Inside Garbage Bags
7
Creativity With Dumpsters
Eco and Art Skips
6
Dumpster Diving
This Is The "Freegan" Life
5
Precise Portable Forestry
The ParkMobile Introduces Greenery to San Francisco One Block at a Time
4
Dumpster Diva Fashion
'Victim Fashion' Combines Tatters and Lace for Fall 09
3
Dumpster Dress-Up
8 Artsy Trash Receptacles
2
Dumpster Diving Studies
Blu Dot's 'Real Good Experiment' Tracks Chairs All Over NYC
1
Recycled Election Couture
Green Inaugural Ball, a Trashion Showcase for Obama
Related Ideas
Multi-Material Home Composters
The Conceptual 'Toggle' Compost Bin Accepts Food Waste and Paper
Multifunctional Transport Buses
The Bubblic Public Imagines the Future of Public Transit
AI-Powered Waste Trackers
The Binit Household Waste Tracker Streamlines Recycling
Nest-Inspired Urban Houses
This Vietnamese Dwelling Offers Respite From the Concrete Jungle
Stress-Reducing Garbage Initiatives
The Hefty Brand Launches its 'Trash Time Out' Campaign
Chic Utilitarian Trash Cans
Carden 'The Twin' Trash Can Has a Dual-Bucket Design
Nostalgic 70s-Inspired Apartments
The House Special Studio Designs a Compact Apartment
Designer Upcycled Bags
Comme Des Garçons Released Its Collaboration with FREITAG
Minimalist Indoor Gardening Systems
The Conceptual BalconyFarm POT Can Be Set Up Anywhere
Gamified Compost Bins
The Smart Palm Bin Awards Badges for Food Waste Reduction
Indoor Organic Waste Gardens
The Conceptual BOSCH Eco-Hub by Batuhan Duran is Sustainable
Statement Street Art
Alex Chinneck’s Surreal Street Art Transforms Bristol's Urban Landscape
Upcycled Plastic Bag-Made Chairs
Sungai Watch Creates the Ombak Chair from Plastic Bags
Recycling-Focused Store Concepts
COS Adopts Recycled Materials to Enhance its New Store Locations
Novel Home Security Concepts
Swift Creatives Introduces 'Sculptural Surveillance'
Recycling-Friendly Pump Designs
The P&G Product Pump Design Can Be Recycled without Disassembly
Urban Bottle Sustainable Initiatives
Heineken Presents Fields Green With Grass, Not Glass
AI-Enabled Recycling Bins
SmartSort Bins Appropriately Dispose of Out-of-Home Waste
Collaborative Recycling Initiatives
National Mall Introduces a Comprehensive Recycling Program
Futuristic Imaginative Design Concepts
Toyota Introduces the Unique E-Collection of Products
Extreme Space-Saving Architecture
A 74-Square-Foot Apartment is Redefining Urban Living
Reusable Paper-Made Water Bottles
The 'reU' Reusable Water Bottle Concept is Recyclable
Sophisticated Upcycled Home Sculptures
Origin Made Boasts the Exquisite Barco Basket Sculptures
AI-Powered Recycling Systems
The Conceptual 'Binko' Recycling Machine Automates Sorting
Retail Overconsumption Campaigns
Coachtopia's 'The Wasted Parts' Explores Overconsumption Culture
Recycled Clothing-Crafted Furniture
Hemingway Design Transforms London's Traid Store
Versatile Compact Modern Residences
Backcountry Containers Presents the Augustine Tiny Home
Waste-Incorporated Chair Designs
These Knoll Chairs Have Been Customized by Noel Mercado
Meditative Trash Campaigns
Hefty's Trash Time Out Provides Support During the Holiday Season
Recycled Material Washbasins
The Vitra x Tom Dixon Re-Ceramic Washbasin is Eco-Friendly
Playful Concrete Wash Basins
The Kast Wave Collection Prioritizes a Sculptural Form
Plastic-Free Hotel Amenities
ZeroWaste Global Introduces Plastic-Free Guest Amenities for Hotels
Resurrected Used Smartphones
Think Tank Team Makes Artifacts with Project Afterlife
In-Office Food Recycling Systems
Mill for Workplace Helps Companies Manage Food Waste at Scale
Inflatable Portable Toilets
Kunrui Peng Designs the AirPot, a Lightweight Toilet Design
Eco-Friendly 3D Printer Concepts
The Loop Concept is a Sustainable 3D Printing Device
Whimsical Garbage Bags
Staff Expands Its Collection with Playful Garbage Bags
Electric Food Recyclers
The FoodCycler Eco 3 Turns Food Scraps into an Odor-Free By-Product
Abandoned Bar-Transformed Apartments
XStudio Develops the New House M Workshop Project
Mycelium-Made Biodegradable Urns
Mush and Furf Design Studio Creates the sail Funerary Urn
Compost-Turned Paint Toolkits
A Team at Virginia Tech Developed the Sustainable Painting Art Kit
Recycled Wallet Collections
FREITAG Boasts a New and Colorful Collection of Wallets
Deflated Balloon Clothing Hangers
Chong Shop Has Revamped the Iconic Clothes Hanger Using Waste
Automated Anti-Odor Trash Cans
The ZitA SQUARE Has an Advanced Design and Aesthetic
Recycled Mini Golf Courses
Lab La Bla Made a Miniature Golf Course with Denim & Wine Corks
Decorative Denim-Made Plates
The Denim Project by Junghyun Kim Turns Waste into Wares
Design-Forward Funerary Urn Exhibitions
Alessi's Il Tornitore Matto Project is Thought-Provoking
Upcycled Circular Design Products
Cyrc Designs Expansive Products with Sustainable Themes
Street-Food Stall Furniture Designs
Jhanyar Designs the New GaGeeNang Collection
Duck-Like Waste Robots
The Conceptual 'Qua' Waste Management Robot Keeps Cities Cleaner
50s-Inspired Renovated Basements
Gundry & Ducker Add a Colorful New Extension to Home in Hackney
Aesthetic Interior Fridge Trends
Country & Town House Published a Guide to 'Fridgescaping'
Sculptural Modern Turntable Concepts
Amuni Studio Creates the Hybrid Turntable Concept
Upcycled Water Tower Chandeliers
Richard Haining Designs the Sustainable Stacked Chandelier
Black-Timber Stealthy Pavilions
Aptdotapt Designs the Drop-Stop Pavilion in the Mountains
Orange Peel Waste-Made Lamps
Alkesh Parmar Designs the Sustainable Apeel Pendant Lamp
Two-in-One Drinking Vessels
Bottlecup Combines an Insulated Water Bottle with a Coffee Cup
Plastic-Reduced Handwash Bottles
PZ Cussons Taps Terracycle to Create Refillable Packaging
Post-Apocalyptic Aluminum Furniture
Students at HEAD Genève Create 2084, Diorama of the Future
Fan-Shaped Stackable Stool Concepts
The StOol Concept is Crafted to Use in Minimal Spaces
Discarded Shoe-Created Stools
The WU Series by BENTU Design is a Sustainable Alternative
Upcycled Ice Cream Desserts
Salt & Straw's Pints of the Month Help to Reduce Food Waste
Outdoor Water Sink Stations
Weltrevee Presents the New Contemporary Waterworks Outdoor Sink
Odorless Compost Kitchen Bins
The Mill Kitchen Bin Automatically Recycles Food Scraps
Sustainable Produce Packaging
These Cascades Eco-Friendly Produce Baskets are Recycled
Enclosed Japanese Park Toilets
Tono Mirai Architects Designs the Curved Toiletowa Structure
E-Waste Take-Back Boxes
Trashie's Tech Take Back Box Responsibly Recycles Electronic Devices
NYC-Inspired Steel Furniture
Micah Rosenblatt Designs the City Block Collection of Furniture
Green Concrete Community Centers
Studios WORKac and Ignacio Urquiza Architects Form a Building
Large Capacity Composting Facilities
Montreal Opens It's Own Organic Waste Processing Facility
Garden-Topped Sunken Museums
Kengo Kuma & Associates Design the CMP Inspiration Museum
Upcycled Material Musical Instruments
The Yamaha Upcycling Guitar Concept Models are Sustainable
Urban Debris-Crafted Portable Lamps
We+ Designs the Beautiful Remli Lamp Using Rubble and Debris
Sustainable QSR Litter Adverts
McDonald's Malta Presents New Captivating Eco-Centric Campaigns
Odor-Busting Waste Composters
This Compact Machine Allows For Convenient Indoor Composting
Subterranean Courtyard Galleries
Buzz Designs the Hermit Space Yards in Beijing Park
Found Objects-Formed Art Collections
LMU Joins Benchmark to Create the Aldgate Gold Project
Plastic-Free Compostable Sportswear
Community Clothing's Organic Athletic Uses Natural Materials
Waste Tarp-Made Public Seating
The Membran Collective Joins the Urban Networks Project
Global Design-Honoring Stool Capsules
Colección Estudio & Difane Join Forces on the Basurto Stool
Urbanite Worm Compost Systems
The 'Revermi' Vermicomposter by Sam Kauranen is Easy to Use
Sustainable Upcycled Glass Cups
HMM Design Creates a Unique Eco-Friendly Glass Cup
Intuitive Countertop Composters
The Vego Kitchen Composter Enhances Home Gardening
Urban Waste-Made Furniture
Javier Guzmán Cervantes and Ex Soup Join on an Exhibition
Upcycled Plastic Construction Companies
'Kubik' Uses Plastic Waste as a Sustainable Material
Ocean-Friendly Upholstery Textiles
The 'Sport' Textiles Are Crafted From Shoreline-Sourced Plastic
Electronic Packaging-Made Stools
Razeen Mohammed Designs the Portable EDGAR Stool
Microplastic Particle-Transformed Designs
The Tyre Collective Creates Products from Particles
Upcycled Plastic Furniture Series
Kasper Kyster Presents the Crafting Plastic Series
Wasteful Fashion Campaigns
Vestiaire Collective Reminded People to Shop Mindfully on Black Friday
Compostable Foodservice Packaging
These Sabert Pulp Food Containers are Convenient
Rustic Ruin-Inspired Aquariums
Tatiana Bilbao Estudio Designs The Sea of Cortez Research Center
Colorful Sustainable Recycled Stools
Alexander Latersztain Designs the Stump Recycled Stools
User-Friendly Kitchen Composters
Compost Genie is a Simple Solution for First-Time Composters
Salvaged Material-made Saunas
Ika Architekti Designs the Upcycled Sauna in a Garden
Sustainable Repurposed Clay Bricks
Mutina and Konstantin Grcic Create Eco-Friendly Bricks
Apartment-Inspired Drawer Concepts
Focus Studio Presents the Smart APT Drawers Concept
Food Waste Management Awards
Denton, Texas, Wins an Award for Its Food Waste Composting Program
Clothing Recycling Services
Marine Layer and Trashie Lead Sustainable Fashion with New Initiative
Tubular Metal Furniture Collections
Tim Teven Designs the Tube Collection of Furniture
Personal Cubicle Concepts
Ma. Camilla Isabel Reyes Designs a Personal Working Pod Concept
Eco-Friendly Organized Containers
Furf Designs the Sustainable Tronco Storage for Qeeboo
Floating-Style Classroom Designs
Ennead Architects & Rockwell Group Completes the Bloomberg Center
Reusable Cafe Packaging
SFU Reduces Waste with Tap to Reuse and Smart Return Bin Tech
Adorable Public Rubbish Bins
SWNA Created a Set of Rubbish Bins for Design Seoul 2.0
Upcycled Wine Brands
Rotterdam Urban Winery Addresses the Food Waste Crisis
3D-Printed Terracotta Cooler Designs
Entreautre Creates the Biomimcry 3D-Printed Terracotta Cooler
Ruin-Adaptive Shipping Container Homes
Patrick Bradley Architects Forms the Barneys Ruins Project
Sleek Public Seating Concepts
Hanneke Louren Presents the Contemporary Leftover Bench
Discarded Theater Screen Lamps
Haneul Kim Transforms Waste into Lighting Designs
Bold Patterned Tubular Benches
Rik van Veen Designs the Leopard Bench with a Bright Look
Alien-Inspired Metal Stool Concepts
Riley MacKay Designs the Sustainable Metal Stool Concept
Squishy Clay-Made Daybeds
Niveau Zéro Atelier Designs the Soft Soil Daybed From Waste Clay
Broken Bike Lock Furniture
Design Students Showcase the People and Places Exhibition
Office-Catered Modern Pedestals
Llorenç Poy Ventura Designs the Sustainable Tribeca Pedestal
Garage-Converted Box Theaters
Dash Marshall Completes the Transformed Detroit Public Theater
Cardboard Box-Transformed Furniture
Max Lamb Presents the Box Exhibition at Gallery Fumi
Bright Artful Cabinet Collections
Muller Van Severen Introduces the Bridges Collection
Community-Centric Sculptural Installations
Naoto Fukasawa & Jakuets Design the Playful Sculptures
Shaded Modern Outdoor Furniture
mmcité street furniture Designs the UFO Shelter for Outdoors
Public Sculptural Pergola Barbecues
H30 Architects Designs the Communal Barbecue in Costa Brava
Transformed Disused Steelwork Structures
Delugan Meissl Designs Expo Cultural Park Greenhouse
Autumnally Scented Trash Bags
Cinnamon Pumpkin Spice Ultra Strong Trash Bags Keep Homes Fresh
Urban Green Space Overhauls
Four of London's green spaces will receive a makeover
Anti-Splashing Bathroom Fixtures
These Modern Urinal Designs Elevate Cleanliness
Modern Durable Trash Receptacles
Coated Outdoor Furniture Taunts Its 32-Gallon Trash Receptacle
Industrial Warehouse-Inspired Offices
Carr Designs a New Office Block with Industrial Themes
Accessible Floating Public Pools
+ POOL Can Be Utilized in Bodies of Water Around the City
Repurposed Factory Studios
Tengbom Uses Existing Elements in the 1930s Factory as a Studio
Barrel Vault-Topped Metro Stations
KA Architecture Studio Designs the Jahad Metro Plaza
Nature-Connecting Design Installations
OMCC and Diez Office Unveil the Vert Installation
Whimsical Sculptural Furniture Series
Micah Rosenblatt Presents the City Block Series in Art Show
Nature-Inspired Design Objects
Students at Tecnológico de Monterrey Design the Plant-Based Series
Artful Dockside Installations
London Festival of Architecture Gets Benches for Pews and Perches
Artful Seaweed-Inspired Bin Magnets
Alixe Ronchi Designs the Magnetic Edition of Vipp's Bins
Repurposed Imperfection-Embraced Buildings
Civic Architects & VDNVP Elevate a Series of Workspaces
Cost-Efficient Sustainable Bags
Paragon Debuts a New Range of Garbage Bags Made with Plastic Waste
Rustic Industrial Valet Trays
The Puebco Recycled Steel Valet Tray Has a Rustic Finish
Sawdust Scrap Recyclable Stools
Renaud Defrancesco Designs the Briket Stool for Firewood
Artisanal Interior Storage Systems
Alexandre Dubreuil Creates the Dice Design System