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I have two trash cans that sit on the side of my house. What can I do to keep them from blowing away due to the wind, when they are empty? I've tried bungee cording them together but they then just blow away as a couple. I have concrete block so I thought I could maybe attach hooks and use bungee cords to secure them to the house.

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    Is duct tape an acceptable solution? :)
    – Doresoom
    Commented Aug 31, 2010 at 20:14
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    @Doresoom: Does not pass the Wife test
    – Engineer2021
    Commented Aug 31, 2010 at 20:38
  • Construction adhesive! :P
    – Tester101
    Commented Sep 1, 2010 at 11:53

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Your idea of a bungee cording the trash cans to the side of the house might be the easiest option. (Other than duct tape.) You could try a set of D-rings and concrete screws for that. Just make sure they'll be rust-resistant.

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  • I ended up using eyebolts and epoxied them into the wall.
    – Engineer2021
    Commented Jan 28, 2013 at 12:57
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I've seen some houses near me have a sort of cage for them -- looks like a little fenced-off area on the side of the house, with the trash cans in there, and can swing open in front to get the trash cans out.

If it's really windy, you might need to add a top to it, so the trash cans can't lift out in high winds.

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    By really windy do you mean cows flying past in a tornado?
    – Doresoom
    Commented Aug 31, 2010 at 20:53
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    @doresoom : Um ... anyone with a good understanding of the bernoulli effect about to calculate the wind speed necessary to create a pressure differential sufficient to overcome gravity? Of course, if you used slats such that wind could pass underneath the trash cans, too as they begin lifting, it might reduce the likelihood of them escaping.
    – Joe
    Commented Aug 31, 2010 at 21:58
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    I assume the cage is as much to prevent animals from intruding as to prevent the cans from doing a "Dorothy".
    – user558
    Commented Aug 31, 2010 at 22:21
  • @Doresoom : a 2kg trash can? That might be a bit heavy for an empty plastic one these days, but as it's over 900mph winds, I don't think it'd be an issue at even 1/4 that weight, as you'd be well into hurricane-strength winds.
    – Joe
    Commented Sep 1, 2010 at 8:06
  • @Joe: Sorry, I was a bit of a jerk there. I took several classes with my ME major that involved using the Bernoulli effect extensively, and my pride got hurt there.
    – Doresoom
    Commented Sep 1, 2010 at 11:58
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We used to get excellent results on this same problem by using cinder blocks. I'd just leave them around the garbage cans like a border, and wedge the cans inside them. It works surprisingly well, and it's simple, requiring no construction.

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Since you already have the bungie cords you could put up a post (wood, metal) in between them attached to a heavy block on the ground, put a hook/D-Ring near the top, and then wrap the bungie cord around each can attaching it to the post.

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