EKO sent me a Mirage-X motion sensor trash can for review.
Until recently, I’d had the same trash can for over a decade. When I was a young adult, we briefly had owned a trash can that had a pedal on it. I had initially chosen that because I thought having a trash can that didn’t require us to touch the lid would be convenient. It was, while it lasted – but it didn’t take long for the pedal to break. We replaced it, only for the new trash can pedal to break also. At that time, I gave up on the ‘don’t touch the lid’ style and just got a regular can. For the past 10+ years, it’s worked alright…but when I came across EKO and their motion sensor-trash cans, I was immediately intrigued.
Side by side, you wouldn’t realize that the EKO trash can has 1.6x the storage capacity of my old trash can! It barely takes up any more room!
These motion sensor trash cans give the convenience of not having to ever touch the trash can to throw something away, yet don’t rely on a pedal that is likely to break over time. Instead they have mechanics in the lid that requires battery power but they respond to motion and lift the lid for a few seconds.
I also liked how these EKO garbage cans are made out of stainless steel instead of plastic. Plastic cans can begin to absorb odors over time. I thought stainless steel would be a superior material. Plus, these come in a 21 gallon size. We are sometimes surprised at how quickly our 13-gallon trash can fills up and needs taken out, but we don’t have room for a big 33 gallon trash can in our apartment. The 21 gallon EKO trash cans are just a little taller and a little deeper than our current trash can, so it doesn’t feel like it takes up that much more space, yet it can hold a lot more trash and requires taken out less frequently.
EKO has multiple models available, we opted for the Mirage-X 21 gallon trash can which is available in regular stainless steel or black stainless steel. We went for black. When you purchase, it gives you a small bag of 21-gallon trash bags from the EKO Brand to get you started, which is really nice for people like myself who are transitioning to a new size of trash can.
The lid takes four AA batteries to operate, and can be used for up to 8 months for each set of batteries. When it arrived, we didn’t have any brand new batteries so we found some partially used ones temporarily. After a few weeks the batteries gave out, and we could tell they needed replaced because the lid stopped closing fully after opening. That’s about what I’d expect from batteries that were already used going in, not a reflection of the can itself.
I like how the can has a liner ring that goes over the trash bag, to help hold it securely in place and to allow the bag to be invisible from the outside. I also like how the container is pretty rectangular, it doesn’t seem to have as much of a suction effect as our old trash can, which often required someone to help pull the trash can down while someone else was lifting the bag out of the can.
It’s so convenient to be able to cook and toss food away without touching the trash can, so we don’t have to pause and wash our hands again mid-cooking. I’m generally a somewhat frugal person who takes a “if it isn’t broke, why fix it?” perspective on things. My old trash can wasn’t “broken” but I have really appreciated this upgrade and think it’s worth the money. It’s nice to never have to touch the lid of the trash can, and it’s nice to not have to take the trash outside as often, without the trash can taking up a ton of space still.
One thing my husband and I didn’t catch at first: the rim has two touch controls built into it that look like part of the design rather than buttons. The one on the left puts the lid in “stay open” mode. The one on the right closes it on command. Otherwise the lid closes on its own after about 5 seconds. Personally, for a quick couple of extra seconds I’ll still just hold my hand over the sensor because a big appeal of a motion can is not touching it mid-cooking! However, this is harder on the battery than using the “Stay open” button so for extended use it’s best to use the button.
If this isn’t the ideal size of trash can for you, EKO makes ones that are bigger and larger, and some that are in different shapes, and some that have two compartments rather than one!
Win it: EKO is going to provide a 21-gallon EKO mirage-x stainless steel motion sensor trash can for one lucky winner! This giveaway is open to the US. Enter using the GT form below. This giveaway will end July 22nd at 11:59pm Eastern.
Hi there! I am Emily Evert, the owner of Emily Reviews. I am 28 and live in a small town in Michigan with my boyfriend Ryan and our two pugs. I have a large family and I adore my nieces and nephews. I love reading memoirs, and learning about child development and psychology. I love watching The Game of Thrones, Teen Mom, Sister Wives and Veep. I like listening to Jason Isbell, John Prine, and other alt-country or Americana music. I created Emily Reviews as a creative outlet to share my life and the products that I love with others.
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