Tilt Out Trash

I didn't want to make this project, but our dog Cali, continually tries to help us by taking the trash out. 

Cali the overly ambitious boxer.

The problem is she has a hard time not ripping the bag with her teeth and getting trash all over the house. I can tell she tries to pick up the mess she's made because all of the trash has bite marks on it. I keep telling her we will handle taking out the trash but she doesn't listen and tries to surprise me with this task every time I leave the house. We tried blocking her from taking out the trash with chairs but her determination to help around the house is so strong, that she figured out how to move the chairs. We also tried putting the trash cans on the table but I'm not a huge fan of having trash cans on the table where I eat. She has tried helping us with the trash in the past, which resulted in her being confined to the laundry room when we went out. She could still enjoy the air conditioner in the laundry room and her doggie door was there so she could get outside as well. After the fourth of July last year when she developed an aversion to fireworks, she tried to chew her way out of the laundry room and lost her four bottom teeth in the process. I'm too afraid to keep her in there anymore. The repairs were easy enough but we obviously couldn't repair those teeth and who knows what she'll injure in the future. All this to say I made a tilt out trash cabinet so our dog couldn't get to the trash anymore.

I didn't get any pictures before this point because this was a rush job. I used leftover bead board and scrap wood so this project only cost me about six dollars in wood and hinges.

I made these labels because we have a split trash can where we live, half is trash and half is recycling so we have two trash cans to keep things separate and when people come over they always had to ask which was which. Now it's clear to everyone which side they should use. I also chose the shape and gold color to match the hutch we already have in the dining room. This shape is the same as the detail on the hutch doors.

The hutch that I refinished a few years ago. I added gold cup pulls on the drawers after this picture was taken.

I had these knobs from an old dresser that I recently moved to my son's room. I changed the knobs because a few were missing and he wouldn't be able to get the drawers open without them.

I bought brass screws to replace the previous ones and add some more gold to the piece.

The finished piece. It came out way bigger than I imagined and even though I made it to fit our existing trash cans, they were just barely to tall for the doors to open all the way, making it very hard to take the trash out. So I bought two new slightly smaller cans and now it works great.

The only problem is it makes our nook/booth style dining table, which was always a little too small anyway, look cramped in the corner. I think it's time for a new table. The question is do I find one on craigslist and refinish it to match or do I try turning four matching legs and build one myself?