How do I make a lid for this bin?

Question

There's a popular chain of home furniture store, which shall go unnamed, from which I've gotten a couple of bins which look like this:

Unfortunately for me, that store doesn't sell lids for these bins.

What would be a cheap and effective way of making/getting such a lid?

Notes:

• The diameter is 28cm.
• I'll be using this bin for mostly-solid organic refuse. While I don't need a lid that's 100% sealed and air-tight, it should block air flow.
• The lid does not need to guard against spillage, or stay on if I turn the bin upside-down.

Answer 1

Plastic plant-pot saucers are inexpensive, come in a variety of sizes and colours, are light weight, strong, tough, and when flipped over are tops for bottoms. You can find them in hardware stores, and around this time of year at plant supply kiosks in supermarket parking lots and many markets.

Answer 2

In my cupboard, I have a small collection of (glass) lids that belonged to long-discarded, no longer non-stick non-stick pans. I use them when I need to cover a random bowl. 28 is a typical frying pan diameter, so that should also fit your container. It’s usually not a problem if their size isn’t an exact match, their rim can sit either outside the bowl or stop inside where the container is narrower. Their handles are designed to be grabbed easily with one hand and the transparent material helps me check on the content. While I typically use them to cover my bread dough, in your case you can easily see when it’s time for a trip to the compost heap. Bonus: they can go in the dishwasher. If you don’t have any around, I’d ask around (everyone has a few friends or relatives of the “let’s keep it, it may be useful” type) or check a thrift store.

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If you can’t find a matching lid, the unnamed blue-and-yellow furniture store offers a set of three different silicone covers that “stick” to the bowl and close pretty tightly. The largest has a diameter of 32 cm. I am sure other retailers may have something similar. Make sure you get the “just place gently on top” type, not the “stretch to cover” type, or you will hate them every time you need to open the bin - the former works with one hand while holding that random apple core or banana peel, the latter always needs two hands.

Answer 3

You don't say where in the world you are but you may find that your country has an abundance of suitably large paint and wallpaper paste pots on general sale. Next time you're passing a construction waste dumpster/skip, have a look to see if there are any 10l plastic bucket style pots of paint, wallpaper adhesive etc in it

No skips/dumpsters locally? Perhaps a local decorating company will have some old ones they would give away

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If you're stuck for those, perhaps a plastic builder's bucket, even if the base is narrower than 28cm; cut the bucket all the way around at the point where the diameter is 29+cm, and it should fit on the bin upside down, sitting so it hangs partly down the sides of the bin

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I too was minded that 28cm is a common size for a frying pan. To this end either the glass lid of such a pan or the pan itself, with handle removed, may make for an adequate bin lid. New glass lids are available for a paltry sum on popular auction and shopping sites

If you're looking to fit something like this, may I suggest you look at fitting it into the bin upside down? Even a larger (30cm+) lid will fit well if inverted (U shape, rather than n shape) so its center of gravity is below the rim of the bin

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Failing all these, a fabric lid may suffice: an old drawstring bag made of synthetic material may be able to sit over and draw up tightly enough

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