Use Paver Stones To Create An Upscale Home For Your Outdoor Trash Cans

Between hanging window boxes and painting your front door to installing porch lights and picking the perfect doormat, you do a lot to increase your home's curb appeal. But if you don't have a designated area to store your garbage cans, you could be pulling focus away from the aesthetically pleasing parts of your house without even realizing it. One great idea is to create a more upscale station for outdoor trash cans by using simple paver stones.

Start by leveling the area and removing any weeds. Then select a paver stone for each receptacle you own — one for the trash and one for the recycling, for example. The stones should be big enough to fully house each bin's wheels without any overhang, as seen in this TikTok video. Something like these concrete pavers that measure 24 inches by 24 inches would be perfect. Similar to adding a metal edge to your lawn, you can extend the platform's area to create an oval around the pavers, then fill in any gaps with landscape rock or pea gravel. Alternatively, you could place multiple pavers like a tile floor and skip the gravel altogether.

Concrete pavers aren't the only option for creating a trash can platform. If there's a hard scaping feature already somewhere on your property, it can be a nice look to mimic those same materials elsewhere. For example, if your walkway is gray concrete, you could use fast-setting concrete to make a more permanent pad. If your front stoop is made out of bricks, you could upcycle some old brick for the platform instead.

Take things a step further and completely hide your trash cans by corralling the bins within a wooden frame. This can be an especially great solution if you live in an area where bins are often knocked over by the wind, and it will also deter water or snow and help keep pests away. Start by measuring the width and height of your garbage cans, then use several long wooden boards to build a frame that will enclose the bins. To do this project more cheaply, you could reuse wooden pallets instead.

Anyone with raccoons in their area knows the sinking feeling that occurs when you walk outside to discover that your trash has been ripped apart and is strewn all over your yard — again. Securing garbage in designated bins with a lid is paramount to keeping trash intact, but raccoons are savvy and will find a way inside if lids aren't secure. Epsom salts are a common household ingredient you can sprinkle atop the lids to deter raccoons, but you'll need to reapply each time it rains (or the cans get opened).

The most surefire way to keep these nocturnal visitors at bay is to make it impossible for them to open the lids in the first place. This could mean building a small garbage shed structure with a roof or finding a reliable way to secure the lids. Bungee cords or a ratchet strap will keep things in place, as will a set of large spring clamps. There are also dedicated locks, like EnigaRlax Trash Can Locks, designed for this very purpose, which will not only work to keep out raccoons but are also ideally suited for locations with a large bear population as well.