Ok back again, Been working on another project, for a built in sliding garbage bin drawer, with an auto opening lid which has a relatively good sealed top on the bin when the cabinet is closed.

To open the base cabinet drawer simply push with your knee and the drawer will fully open as will the bin lid.

How to achieve this?
I bought a garbage/recycling drawer system with a total of 4 bins. I did not like the drawer slides it came with so used other push to open drawer slides and built the base cabinet to suit the drawer system.

With the cabinet built & drawer system installed.
Now to make the drawer fully open. We used two sheet metal control arms similar to the EZ-Drawer system “Bath Scale Storage System”. Now our drawer with a push of your knee will fully open.

Now to be completely hands free, the garbage/recycling bin lid must open when the drawer is open & close and seal when the drawer is closed.

I installed a hinge on the bin and lid, spring loaded the lid to help open and attached a bracket to the lid for a pull cord.

To open the lid when the drawer is opening, I was thinking of a linkage system but the travel distance was too long, could have put in a telescopic linkage system but a simple cord system seemed much easier.

At the back of the drawer cabinet is a bracket with a small pulley roller.
The control cord is attached to the lid and runs over the pulley roller with a spring and small weight attached.

So when you open the drawer with your knee the drawer starts to open, the cord comes out with the drawer mover over the pulley, pulling up the weight to a predetermined stop, thus opening the lid. Push the drawer to close.

The top of the lid has a sloping part (cam). When the drawer is closing it engages another bracket on the cabinet to push the lid fully closed.

That’s it, a fully “hands free garbage bin”

Take care, all the best.

John