Pinpointe Web Analysis

Shop our SALE while supplies last.

What Is a Brute Bin? Understanding Trash Can Terminology


Should your facility stock up on Brute bins, Slim Jims, wheelie bins, or open trash cans? And while we’re on the subject, what exactly is the difference between all these products?

Facility managers tasked with building a waste-management program from the ground up quickly encounter a lot of unfamiliar language. It turns out that the common trash can isn’t so simple after all. As North America’s sole dealer of Simpro Bin Dumpers, the Solus Group team has become experts on trash-can design.

Here are some of the leading styles of commercial waste bins, along with explanations of what the names actually refer to:

  • Brute Bins Brute (or, as it’s stylized, BRUTE) is a registered trademark of the Rubbermaid corporation. The iconic round Brute bin is an industry standard for commercial waste receptacles. Brute bins are available in capacities from 10 to 55 gallons, and the latest models include innovations like venting channels to eliminate vacuum resistance when removing liners. If you operate a janitorial department, odds are you’re familiar with Brute bins or one of their many imitators. In fact, this trash container is so widespread, people in the industry often refer to any large-volume, round resin trash can as a Brute bin.
  • Slim Jims Another registered trademark of Rubbermaid, Slim Jims are narrow rectangular trash cans made of durable resin and designed to fit into tight spaces. Like Brute bins, they’ve become so common that people refer to any trash can with similar dimensions as a Slim Jim. Solus Group once processed an order for a customized Bin Dumper, with a cradle designed to handle two Slim Jim-style waste bins at once. If you’re interested in something similar, just let us know.
  • Wheelie Bins If you live in an area with curbside trash and recycling, it’s likely that you put your waste out for pick-up in a wheelie bin. Originally relegated to the UK, New Zealand, and Australia, usage of this term has spread to the United States in recent years, due in no small part to the introduction of Bin Dumpers from Simpro, a New Zealand-based company. Wheelie bins are your classic wheeled trash cans, designed for handling large volumes of waste or recyclables. You might know them as “roll-out carts,” but you’ve certainly seen them around.
  • Open Trash Cans This isn’t a tough one. An open trash can is just what it sounds like, a receptacle of any size that lacks a lid. The “open” designation differentiates these smaller bins from push bins (which feature a lid with a door), pedal bins (which open with the depression of a foot-switch), and sensor bins (which automatically open on activation of a motion detector).
  • Mobile Garbage Bins Solus Group carries a range of industrial-scale waste receptacles called Mobile Garbage Bins. These are similar to standard city dumpsters, at least in shape, but they’re made of advanced HDPE plastics and they feature large casters, so they’re lightweight and easy to move.

Regardless of the type of trash can works for your operation, you’ll need a safe, efficient way to empty waste into dumpsters. That’s where the Simpro Bin Dumper comes into play. These hydraulic bin dumpers spare workers the ergonomically risky lifts associated with emptying waste bins, and they operate quickly and reliably.

To learn more about Bin Dumpers and Bins available from Solus Group, visit our informative product page, or call us at 314-696-0200.