Discover the unsung champions of cleanliness with these 24 garbage can coloring pages, free for you to download and print. This collection celebrates the essential role these everyday containers play in keeping our world tidy.
Click any image below to open the free PDF; pages are US letter sized but also print well on A4; happy coloring!
10 Craft Ideas to do With Garbage Can Coloring Pages
Once those finished coloring pages pile up, don't let them go to waste! These easy, affordable crafts put your masterpieces to use.
1. Mini Waste Sorting Bins
Take small cardboard boxes or cleaned yogurt cups. Cut out your colored garbage cans and label each with “Recycle,” “Compost,” or “Trash.” Glue a labeled can onto each container to create your own miniature sorting system for tiny paper scraps.
2. Recycling Reminder Garland
Cut out several of your brightly colored garbage cans. Punch a hole at the top of each. String them together using yarn or pipe cleaners, alternating with beads or small construction paper leaves. Hang it as a cheerful reminder to reduce, reuse, and recycle.
3. Flapping Lid Puppet
Carefully cut out a colored garbage can, making sure to keep the lid section partially attached as a hinge. Glue the main body of the can to a craft stick. Add googly eyes near the top, then make the lid flap open and shut by manipulating the stick, ready to “eat” tiny paper scraps.
4. “Trash Monster” Mask
Enlarge and print a garbage can coloring page, or use a large sheet. Color it vividly, then cut out the can shape. Cut out two eyeholes and a larger mouth hole where the lid would be. Attach elastic string or a paper handle, and add pipe cleaner arms or construction paper teeth for a playful monster mask.
5. Desktop Organizer Can
Recycle an empty tin can or toilet paper roll. Cut your colored garbage can page to fit around the container. Glue it securely, making sure the seam is neat. Use your new decorated “garbage can” to hold pencils, markers, or even tiny paperclip “trash.”
6. “Waste Not” Wall Art
Glue your finished garbage can coloring page onto a larger piece of poster board or cardstock. Around the can, draw or glue pictures of items that can be recycled, reused, or repaired instead of simply thrown away. Add inspiring environmental messages to complete your eco-conscious display.
7. Garbage Can Memory Game
Print two copies of your favorite garbage can coloring page and color both sets identically. Cut out each colored garbage can and glue it onto individual squares of sturdy cardstock. Flip them all over and play a classic memory matching game, finding pairs of your colorful cans.
8. Garbage Collector's Badge
Glue a cut-out colored garbage can onto a small circle or shield shape cut from stiff cardboard. Write “Official Waste Warrior” or “Recycling Hero” on it. Attach a safety pin to the back with strong glue or tape, creating a badge to wear with pride.
9. Full vs. Empty Flashcards
Print multiple copies of the garbage can page. On half of them, draw or glue small “trash” items inside to represent a full can. Leave the other half empty. Cut them out, then glue onto index cards to create a set of educational flashcards teaching the concepts of “full” and “empty.”
10. Coin Collecting Can
Find a small, sturdy box like a clean tissue box or a shoebox. Carefully cut a slit into the top for coins. Decorate the exterior by gluing on cut-out colored garbage can pages. Use your new “garbage can” to collect loose change, perhaps for an eco-friendly cause.