I’m going to let you guys see a dirty little corner of my life — my kitchen trash cans. We keep them in a cabinet by the fridge, which is convenient, out of sight, and hidden from the dog. We have two cans. The one on the left is for trash, and one on the right is for recycling. Left is trash. Right is recycling. It is a very simple system that works well for me and my husband, and we have no problem remembering which can is which because we use them every day.

However, there are certain frequent visitors to our home who can not seem to remember which can is for which. In particular, Jo. Sometimes I think she finds things to throw away just so she can ask me which can to put it in, and tease me for not having them labeled in some way! My sister fusses about it too, and whenever we host parties, our guests always end up mixing the trash up between the cans.

Okay, okay. I give in. They need labels! I love labels everywhere else, so why not the trash/recycle cans?

So I made two cute little images to represent the trash and recycling. And because I love you guys, I put them into a downloadable template for you!

Download our labels for trash and recycling cans

To start, just download our template and print it into blank white sticker paper. (I love this stuff!) To keep the label looking nice over time, we suggest you also cover it with clear Con-Tact paper. Just cut a piece that’s slightly larger than the images and stick it down on top.

Then cut the images out, leaving a little white border around it if you want to. This border makes it especially easy to cut out the arrows on the recycling one.

Then just peel the backing off the sticker paper and stick them on the trash cans. No more confusion!

P.S. You’re welcome, Jo!