Totem System Makes Kitchen Trash Collection a Snap
Blue recycling bags full to overflowing, a tub with old newspapers and paper bags, a compost pail to remember to empty (the odor helps), and a garbage can that has lost its lid.
“No more kitchen chaos!” we say. And we’re confident that we’ve found the solution. Yes, we’re thrilled with our latest discovery, which will help restore order to homes, and in a super stylish way at that.
The Totem 60 from Joseph Joseph is yet another example of the company’s knack for combining sleek, cool designs with down-to-earth practical features. Talk about a win-win.
British design company Pearson Lloyd came up with the Totem concept, calling it “intelligent waste.” Providing people with large-capacity trash cans that don’t take up more valuable kitchen space than a regular receptacle was one of the main design challenges. Another was combining recycling and compost elements within the overall general trash body to save space and keep the different trash elements separate yet firmly together.
The general waste unit at the top of the Totem holds liner bags and has a nifty carbon filter under the lid to neutralize those unpleasant kitchen waste odors. Logging in at 9.5-gallon capacity, it can handle its fair share of trash.
At the bottom of the powder-coated steel unit the designers added a multipurpose drawer with a removable divider to help separate recycling. Have more paper than plastic? Move the divider so you have more space where you need it. Now there are no excuses for not separating glass, cans, and paper. Ahem.
Another cool feature of the Totem is a food waste caddy that makes saving veggie peels and eggshells a breeze (we all know composting has to be easy for us to stick with it…). You can keep the caddy in the general waste section of the Totem, in the drawer at the bottom of the unit, or even hiding in plain sight on your kitchen counter.
When it’s garbage night, use the handle built in at the back of the Totem to pull it out to the curb, which is a snap since there are wheels under it. No heavy lifting required; they thought of everything. We even predict that putting out the garbage will no longer be counted as a chore. Think of bonding with the Totem as more of a privilege.
Maintenance is easy, too. The inner buckets are removable for washing, and they take liners to keep everything fresh. The lid is smudge-proof, so fingers won’t make distracting prints.
The Totem range comes in a variety of sizes and colors, including stone, graphite, and stainless steel. Choose the color that matches your kitchen’s color scheme, and measure up your space so you can select the size that works best for you and your family.
No matter which model you pick, your Totem will take up residence with its own 10-year guarantee. That’s more than most house guests.
