Just as there are numerous terms for the humble garbage can in English including trash can, rubbish bin, wastepaper basket and dustbin, so too are there many in Italian!
One of the most diffused terms is bidone (masculine, plural: bidoni).
It can be used on its own or followed by della spazzatura / dei rifiuti / dell’immondizia in order to specify what kind of bin or can it is.
Ho messo il sacchetto di plastica nel bidone della spazzatura.
I put the plastic bag into the garbage bin.
It is also a slang term for an old car in poor condition, whereas the expression fare / dare / tirare un bidone means to scam someone or to miss an appointment.
Some other popular synonyms for bidone include pattumiera (a bin found inside the home), cestino (a small bin normally for paper) and cassonetto (a large bin with wheels for outdoor rubbish collection).
Heather Broster is a graduate with honours in linguistics from the University of Western Ontario. She is an aspiring polyglot, proficient in English and Italian, as well as Japanese, Welsh, and French to varying degrees of fluency. Originally from Toronto, Heather has resided in various countries, notably Italy for a period of six years. Her primary focus lies in the fields of language acquisition, education, and bilingual instruction.
