Tired of your recycling bins sitting outside making your home look un-kempt, attracting flies, or getting soaked with rain and snow? It’s time to create that silk purse from a sow’s ear – or however the saying goes – to hide the mess, reduce pests, and give your yard a glow-up all while doing something great for the planet.
This beautiful DIY recycling bins storage area hides all that plastic, cardboard, and aluminum carnage? That’s downright Pinterest-worthy.
Step 1: The Design
I started with a simple 3D model (because I waste SO MUCH wood when I “wing it”).
The plan:
A double-bin enclosure measuring 36” wide x 23” deep x 27” tall—just enough to fit two standard recycling bins and still have space for a little ventilation (because ew).
I wanted to be able to easily lift the lid to drop recyclables in, but also be able to pull the bins out from the front come recycling day.
Step 2: Supplies and Cut List
| Lumber Type | Dimension | Boards Needed | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pine | 2×2×8 | 4 boards | Frame & legs |
| Pine | 1×2×8 | 4 boards | Doors, lid frame, diagonals |
| Cedar | 1×6×8 | 13–14 boards | Front, back, sides, top |
*I did not enclose the bottom. You’ll need additional boards if you want a floor to your recycling bins storage container.
Recycling Bins Storage – Full Cut List
Pine 2x2x8 (4 boards total)
– 4 x 36″: Front/Back Rails (Top & Bottom Frames) – 4 x 23″: Side Rails (Top & Bottom Frames)
– 4 x 27″: Vertical Legs (Corner Posts)
Pine 1x2x8 (4 boards total)
– 4 x 16-3/8″: Door Top/Bottom Rails
– 4 x 22 ¼”: Door Side Stiles
– 2 x 26 ¾”: Door Diagonals (45-degree cuts) – 2 x 36″: Lid Long Rails
– 2 x 23″: Lid Short Rails
Cedar 1x6x8 (13-14 boards total)
– 8 x 37 ½”: Front Doors (4 boards per door) – 5 x 37 ½”: Back Panel
– 10 x 23″: Sides (5 boards per side)
– 5 x 36″: Top Lid
Tip: Always buy one extra cedar board for color and pattern matching. Label pieces as you cut to stay organized!
Step 3: Framing – The Skeleton of Sanitary
I built the frame out of 2x2s, because:
-
It’s sturdy enough for outdoor use.
-
It’s light enough that I won’t herniate a disc trying to move it – which at my age is more of a priority than I’d care to admit
-
I already had some in the garage (free = my favourite price).
Pro tip: Pocket holes are your best friend here.
They keep everything square and strong while you wrestle wood that swears it’s straight but isn’t.
*Note: you’ll need to use OUTDOOR appropriate wood glue.
I’ll admit, this recycling bins storage box is slightly taller than it needed to be, but at the end of the day, my bins are always full to over-flowing and I didn’t want the lid to get propped open by amazon boxes. Better too much space than too little.
Step 4: Time for Siding (the “pretty” step)
Now the fun part!
I covered the sides and back with cedar planks—because cedar smells amazing, bugs don’t like it, it’s light (again, I had to carry this thing into place), and it weathers beautifully with no finish whatsoever.
Attach the boards using outdoor wood screws, spacing them neatly like you’re Martha Stewart’s apprentice.
If you want to go wild, you could stain or paint it—but honestly, cedar is like the supermodel of lumber. It doesn’t need makeup.
Step 5: The Lid
A hinged lid makes this recycling bins storage way easier to use. Like a garbage can, you can lift, drop and close with one hand.
To make this all you need are enough fence boards to cover the top of the frame (with its siding) by about ¾”-1″ on 3 sides. Cut 2-3 pieces of scrap wood that will fit INSIDE the frame and not interfere with the hinges. Attach with wood glue and wood screws from the inside. Check to make sure the screws won’t break the surface of your lid (aren’t too long) BEFORE you drill them in.
Attach two heavy-duty outdoor hinges. At this point you can add chains if you want to limit how far the lid will open, but this is going against the house, so it won’t be able to go beyond 90°.
Optional upgrade: Add a soft-close hinge if there is a risk of little fingers getting crunched.
Step 6: Doors
Next up, build two framed doors with diagonal bracing. The diagonal piece will hold the doors square so they don’t droop over time.
To get the best fit possible, I built the door frames one at a time and attached each with outdoor hinges to make sure they would swing perfectly.
Look at that level! I’m not going to lie – I totally yelled “BOOYAH! That’s how it’s done!” (mainly because I rarely get it right on the first try)
Use outdoor-rated gate hinges and attach your cedar cladding so that it overlaps the frame for a sleek look and to keep critters out.
The result?
A sleek, symmetrical recycling bins storage cabinet that looks like it was custom-built by a Scandinavian designer with a love for sustainability.
Okay, so there’s a chance my ego got a little TOO inflated with the level doors.
Step 7: Admire, Instagram, Repeat
Once everything was assembled, I stood back, hands on hips, and whispered,
“You beautiful wooden box of cleanliness.”
My bins now slide neatly inside, the lid lifts easily, and my driveway looks like I actually care about curb appeal.
Step 8: Next level awesomeness
“Shelly, where did you get those fantastic and perfectly matched handles?!”
I made them – OH YEAH!
Fix This, Build That has a video tutorial on how to make 5 different types of wood handles. Since everything at the hardware store looked too much like gate handles (which were too big and bulky for this build) I decided to give it a try!
Final Thoughts
This DIY recycling bins storage project is proof that a little lumber and the willingness to try can turn “meh” into “marvelous.”
It’s easy to build, looks professional, and—most importantly—keeps your recycling situation from becoming a neighbourhood eyesore.
Garbage never looked so good.
Pin it for later:
How embarrassing – even an AI image shows my messy garage and a weed on the driveway. (facepalm)
Hey! Quit noticing the nigglies and go get building!
Have a great one!